Ulluco, Breeding Mix, 100 seeds

True ulluco seeds are used to grow new varieties of ulluco.  We’re really pleased to be able to offer true seeds.  Ulluco was considered to be a sterile crop until the late 1980s when seed was produced as part of a research program at the University of Turku.  As far as I am aware, nobody reproduced that success until we did a few years ago.  We now have more than 100 new varieties under evaluation at our farm.  You can get in on the fun by growing your own ulluco from seed.  Every seedling is a new variety that you can propagate from the tubers.

Five packets are available this year, limit one per customer.

100 seeds.  Expect a total germination rate of about 5% after three years.

The price is not a typo.  Ulluco flowers produce a single seed.  Only a very small fraction of them actually set seeds and they must be hand pollinated.  It takes at least five hours of work to produce 100 seeds.  I can’t offer less seeds per packet in good conscience because the germination rate is so low.  I don’t expect many people to buy seeds at this price, but we get a lot of inquiries.  Sometimes I collect more seeds than I need from varieties that are not my top breeding priority, so I mix them together and offer them for sale.  Usually this is less than five packets in a given year and they sell out within a day.  We’re seeing a modest increase in seed set in the new varieties.  I hope that means that the labor involved in producing seed will be reduced and that we will be able to offer more affordable seed in the future.  For the moment, this is what we can offer.

Important: Seeds collected from OSSI pledged varieties are included, so any plants grown from these seeds must also be offered under open source terms.  (This only applies to you if you are planning on selling or sharing the new varieties that you grow.  In that case, you must distribute a copy of the OSSI pledge with your varieties.)

When you grow ulluco from our seeds, you are taking part in our breeding program.  If you get something great, consider offering it through Cultivariable.