I planted 5 pounds each of Russets and Red Pontiacs.

Just finished digging them and got exactly one hill of Russets. ALL the rest were Red Pontiacs or appeared to be.

I planted them in separate rows, but the rows were only a couple of feet apart.

The seed potatoes were bought at a Feed & Seed store that I've used for years. They were clearly different when planted.

Only thing I can think of is that with the rows so close together, they cross-pollinated and the Reds were dominant.

Thoughts?

It sounds like the only logical explanation. I just spent a few minutes skimming a few different articles, and it certainly could happen. You should cut one of each and compare the potato texture, starchiness, skin thickness, etc. you may have Russets, Red Pontiacs, and your own crossbreed of a Red Russet. Maybe it’ll be a superior potato?

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

Only thing I can think of is that with the rows so close together, they cross-pollinated and the Reds were dominant.

Thoughts?

Paul, you are the progenitor of the soon to be famous “Down East Dirt Berries…” BZ!

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
It sounds like the only logical explanation. I just spent a few minutes skimming a few different articles, and it certainly could happen. You should cut one of each and compare the potato texture, starchiness, skin thickness, etc. you may have Russets, Red Pontiacs, and your own crossbreed of a Red Russet. Maybe it’ll be a superior potato?

I'll do that. They're drying a bit right now, this afternoon we'll wash them and store them in the basement.

I am far from an expert gardener, but my ol Pops was quite proficient@ raising potatoes. He always said that they could not crossbreed from cut potatoes, only from true seeds of potatoes. But he was also known to believe in many old wives tales.!

Last year I read the book History and Social Influence of the Potato by Redcliffe Salaman. Cross-breeding potatoes to establish resistance to blight was critical to feeding the British Isles, especially Ireland. Yours is a noble endeavor sir, even if by chance.

It's aliens. Specifically alien genus potatus alianus, subspecies varies by location and strain of originating pieces and number of eyes.

Wandering potato syndrome, haven't seen a case of that in the north east in years. This isn't good.

"...pick 'em up, pick 'em, put 'em in the barrel, put the big old barrel on the 'tater truck..."

There is no "cross pollination" when you're planting eyes, it already happened when the eye's parents were pollinating each other (rampant vegetable sex, video on YouTubers). More likely, the seed potatoes were mislabeled. Same situation with seeds. Only if you are harvesting your own crop for eyes or seeds could there be an issue of dominant/recessive genes.

I have heard many times that potato growers often harvest less weight than they plant. I'd be interested in how productive were your efforts. I know soil tilth makes a huge difference, I cannot imagine trying to grow potatoes in our heavy VA clay soils, I'd need to add a ton of sand and four tons of humus/compost in my little garden plot to even get close.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:

I have heard many times that potato growers often harvest less weight than they plant. I'd be interested in how productive were your efforts. I know soil tilth makes a huge difference, I cannot imagine trying to grow potatoes in our heavy VA clay soils, I'd need to add a ton of sand and four tons of humus/compost in my little garden plot to even get close.

I haven't weighed them, but looking at volume, I'd say close to 2:1. My garden is very nice soil in what was a chicken yard until 4/5 years ago.

I used to make 4-5 yards of compost annually when I had sheep. That cut back to maybe a yard when I was down to just chickens, and now that I'm done with chickens, I'll likely add what little I make from kitchen and garden waste to the garden before tilling in the Spring. Not enough to bother trying to screen and sell.

It's "Wandering Tuber Syndrome". Potatoes can be very frisky, underground, in the dark.

Pollination doesn’t affect seed potatoes. Planting seed potatoes is like cloning, the potatoes grown are the same as the ones the seed potatoes were cut from.

Cross pollination won’t affect the potatoes grown from TPS, true potato seed, either. It will affect the seeds of those plants though. Cross pollination only affects the genetics of the seeds a plant produces.

Cross pollination affects currently growing corn because the corn kernels are the seeds.

quote:

Originally posted by jgerge222:
I am far from an expert gardener, but my ol Pops was quite proficient@ raising potatoes. He always said that they could not crossbreed from cut potatoes, only from true seeds of potatoes. But he was also known to believe in many old wives tales.!

Your father was correct.

They will keep for longer if you do not wash them.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
There is no "cross pollination" when you're planting eyes, it already happened when the eye's parents were pollinating each other (rampant vegetable sex, video on YouTubers). ...

"Don't bend over in the garden, Granny, you know them tater's got eyes."

-The late, great Lewis Grizzard.


I still miss that guy.

"YouTubers" he sez...

Not sure how I missed that the first time.