viability/morphology

on the left in the top photo are some wild potato seeds from bolivia...and on the right are some seeds from one of the potato fruits i harvested in september...the potato fruit in the photo has been in a paper since november fourth and is closing in on being ripe enough to remove the seeds...the domesticated seeds seem to be marginally larger than their wild ancestors and i am told there may be dormancy issues with them because they are fresh...they have been in the freezer for several weeks so we will be seeing...if they don't take i will go in search of gibberellic acid and do laboratory somersaults to get some going...i put the seeds in peat pots, marking the wild ones...another ancestor/domesticate morphology project with the added feature of ( hopefully ) a spring outdoor transplantation and ( even more hopefully ) tubers..and...down under the lights where the action never seems to stop...but that's the next post.

potato news today

the gardener is relieved to announce that the yema de huevos that were planted in the bushel basket nineteen days ago have begun to break the surface ( first and second photos )...others have been sprouting in boxes and will be finding homes this coming weekend under the newest broad spectrum grow light i have acquired...in more spud related news, the early blue potatoes i planted six days ago have begun to show above ground as well ( third photo )...this is the first step ( i hope ) towards a crop of both tubers to plant in a variety of gardens across the county in april...the community garden, my daughter and son-in-law's yard, my yard, and the pgp...the bottom photo is of a bolivian wild potato that i started last week...the established ones are doing well but i am trying to expand the population...about two months to tesointe planting...three or so to potatoes...four at the outside...no time to waste...do seed potatoes grown in my basement qualify as local?