Tater seeds ???

[1894]

Not seed taters , them lil cherry tomato sized things they sprout on top.
Anyone had any luck drying the seeds , starting them early , transplanting outside when the ground warms up , and getting good taters from them ???
Cut up a few taters this spring ,stuck them in the garden , first time for us , they grew like crazy .
I've snipped most of the clusters of " fruits " off , but left a couple for Justin Case they may work.
They little research I did ( I thought the tomatoes crossbred with the potato's ) says my chances are slim to get anything useful out of the seeds , but just one first hand " I tried it and a couple worked " would be nice to hear.
Any one go out on a limb and get anything to grow ?

[Texas-Hunter]

This Texan never heard of such a thing...

[Richtee]

Never heard tell either. We planted "seed potatos" when I was a kid.

[1894]

You guys have seen the little fruits though , right ?

Or did I just get a weird batch ? I've never grown or even seen potato plants before , so this is all new to me.

Found this pic online ,



Our little tater patch ( had no idea we'd get this many )

[SMOKE FREAK]

Never heard of such a thing...No Idea...

[Richtee]

What the hell you growing there??? I have never seen that... it DOES look like you got a potato/tomato cross! Bizarre! They are both Nightshade relatives... weird!

[1894]

They are called TPS ( true potato seeds )

http://www.growseed.org/potato-breeding.html

When Mom gets back from her vacation , I'll have her ask the local farmer she got them from what strain they are . Just basic white potatoes is all I know.

[SmokinLee]

I have seen them on the potatoe plants. If a plant flowers something is going to appear there. I have never tried planting them myself just the seed potato

[Big Guy]

I get them every year. Some varieties set fruit (seeds) easier than others. This is how they come up with new varieties. The trouble with seeds is every seed is a different variety from each other. Its a real crap shoot if you start with seeds as you don't know what you will get. If you start with tubers they reproduce true to the parent plant. Go ahead and plant some seed for fun you might produce the next great potato or not.

[1894]

Thanks for the replies . I've trimmed off most of the seeds will try to dry and start some next year. No expectations of creating the next great tater Slim hopes that, if they sprout , if they survive transplant , if they actually grow , if they make the same as what they came from , it they , if they , if they , etc etc .
I'll set up a new small space and give them a go just for kicks and giggles . Just hope there are some taters growing under that wood box right now.

[davidmcg]

You got seed pods like that you got potatoes down there thats for sure. Our seed pods have never gotten that big. But then again, after we do the planting of the potatoes we pretty much leave them alone. This hard clay soil around here isn't the best of things. Most of what we end up with are mini potatoes. But what we do in the buckets with good dirt is another story. They are BIGGGGG.

[SmokinLee]

I have clay here also. I have grown some real nice taters, but what a pain it is to dig them out. I have always wanted to try a method I heard of. You just lay the seed on top of a worked up bed and cover with a thick layer of straw. The tuburs when they grow, only grow even with or above the seed tater, never below ( even if you bury them ). as the plant grows you keep adding more straw to keep covered. It is the same as hilling them as you dont want any light to get to the tuburs or they will turn green and that area is somewhat toxic. That would be real nice at harvest time and you could work the used straw in as compost.

[Big Guy]

I tried the straw method one year. It was a lot of work to spread that straw. Things were growing nicely until my nut case brother decided to burn a tent catapiller nest out of a crabapple tree. He tied a rag soaked in gasoline to a pole then lit it held it up to burn out the nest. that worked fine but the end of the pole burnt off and the flaming end fell on the west side of my tater patch. With a nice west breeze in seconds he had burnt my entire tater patch up. so no taters that year. I was really pi$$ed off. Never tried that again

[SmokinLee]

I'd be pissed myself. But I guess you can laugh about it now. I figured it would be a pain handling all that straw and it seems mostly windy around here. I should try growing them in my ears. My mom used to tell me when I was a kid I could grow potatoes in my ears LOL

[davidmcg]

I have clay here also. I have grown some real nice taters, but what a pain it is to dig them out. I have always wanted to try a method I heard of. You just lay the seed on top of a worked up bed and cover with a thick layer of straw. The tuburs when they grow, only grow even with or above the seed tater, never below ( even if you bury them ). as the plant grows you keep adding more straw to keep covered. It is the same as hilling them as you dont want any light to get to the tuburs or they will turn green and that area is somewhat toxic. That would be real nice at harvest time and you could work the used straw in as compost.

Outstanding, I knew I wasn't the only one that heard of growing them that way. Now I know I am going to try a little are like that next year. Now with my luck, next year will really be windy (as if the last year hasn't been) and blow all the straw away repeatedly.