You can’t always judge a potato by it’s skin. Photo by Ron Rossini. Sprouted seed potatoes. You can
also give your seed potatoes an early start by allowing them to sprout in a bright room before cutting. Set them out in an open box in a warm, well-lit room 20 days before cutting and plant- ing. They will produce small fuzzy green sprouts. Avoid breaking these off when cutting. Planting out. The soil temperature
should be about seven degrees C when you plant your seed potatoes. This is a more precise measurement than the vague advice about last frosts. The seed- lings will take anywhere from 10 days to three weeks to come up, depending on conditions. Spacing. Plant about one foot apart
Purple Peruvian, La Ratte, Rose Finn. Photo by Todd Braun.
and, if planting in rows, leave 28 to 36 inches between rows so that you will have room to till and to hill. Watering. Water consistently (pota-
How to save and store true potato seeds A
fter flowering, some pollinated pota- toes will produce seeds, or true seeds
as they are called to differentiate them from seed potatoes (cloning stock).
• Pick the fruits (inedible and poisonous), when the little green bulbs are soft to the touch.
Mature potato plants can produce small fruits that resemble little green tomatoes.
24 • Winter 2014
• Cut the balls in half and squeeze the seeds into a container of water.
• Ferment for three days.
• Remove and strain through a sieve, keeping the seeds
• Air dry • Store in a cool, dry place.
• You can also put the fruits through a blender with water. Let the mixture settle. The seeds will fall to the bottom.
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