Growing Potato - the baby treatment

aka "wet" green sprouting
Every year I have a few VERY RARE potato varieties for which that need "the baby treatment". This page documents the procedure of ensuring success in propagating tubers with difficult varieties, very small seed pieces and/or one last piece of material before the variety would be lost.

 
Pre-sprouting, green sprouting, accelerate growth under lights
Use Jiffy 3" pots and fill them half way with rich compost. If you can recognize an eye place the eye or sprout pointing up. Expose to moderate light. Growing lights can run 12 hours as the neon lights don't develop enough power compared to sun light.

Green sprouting (exposing tubers to moderate light and warm temps) can be done weeks before transplanting in the garden (six I'm trying). This year I had a few micro tubers for which I was very afraid that the delay in planting could cause dehydration.

About 3 weeks before the last date of frost danger I've started to water the tubers. By keeping the Jiffy pots moist the tubers started to develop a root system, in addition to grow green sprouts. Eventually, I hope, leaves will develop before the pots will be ready to be harden off and transplanted.

 
Cruza 148

In 2009 I lost this variety in my garden but luckily a member of Kenosha Potato Project was able to save some. All I've got at the end of the 2009 season were cut pieces (damaged in harvesting). I was able to keep them through the winter and here is a picture in April with a sprout developed under lights.
Daku Round Purple

In 2009 I only had one tuber of this rare variety. In the spring of 2010 I shared half of the tuber with a listed SSE member and kept the other half under lights to develop a sprout.
Inca Treasure

A highland landrace very diffucult to grow here in Kenosha, WI - this year is my last attempt and will start with the baby treatment to see if I can get healthier vines.
Magnum Bonum

Very rare variety, cross of Early Rose x Patersons Victoria, by J. Clark in England released in 1876. I was able to receive a half inch sized seed piece which I'm green sprouting to get a jump on the germination.
Mama Amarilla

According to Wallace Condon, a long time seed saver in California, this is the best tasting potato selected from over 200 varieties he has grown over the years. Unfortunately this variety does not store well - half of the seed I received rotted before April - here is a good whole tuber pre-spouting under lights.
Raud Kvaefjord

An other extremely rare variety which I received at the end of 2009 in micro tuber size - when all you have is this size, you really hope the seed will not dehydrate in storage. I kept this one in a paper bag in my potato bank.
Seneca Horn

An other extremely rare variety which I received at the end of 2009 in micro tuber size - when all you have is this size, you really hope the seed will not dehydrate in storage. I kept this one in a paper bag in my potato bank.
More pictures will follow at the end of May before transplanting outdoors - you must wait until all danger of frost is passed!
Page updated: May, 2010

Wanted: Potato Gardeners

If you'd like to participate with the Kenosha Potato Project - here are your options:

  • If you live in Southeastern Wisconsin - please email me at seedsaver@curzio.com
  • If you live somewhere else in the USA or Canada - are you a member of Seed Saver Exchange? We have a few gardener who participate with the Kenosha Potato Project within the Seed Saver Exchange.
  • We have members of our Global Potato Network in Europe and are always please to cooperate with any gardener / farmer. Sending seed abroad is restricted or difficult ... but we may find ways to cooperate.
  • Also, please visit our "Vertical Growth - 99 lbs in micro plot Challenge web pages" kenoshapotato.com

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