[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

Yeah, the University of Arkansas Department of Agriculture “HORTICULTURE” department posts an article that would be an embarrassment to those knowledgeable of this process. SMH!!

I am a novice potato grower. I’m learning and trying to understand how they grow, and how they originated as almost all plants/trees start from seed. Some trees have to be grafted in order to produce edible fruit unless you get LUCKY to find the perfect seed that would be true to the parent plant and possibly wait years for it to actually produce.

I’m not well versed using correct terminology, as I’m just a “shade tree propagator”, like the so-called “shade tree mechanic” term. But that does not keep me from wanting to learn the how/why of where cultivars come from or originate.

Back in December I was hoping to find “seed potatoes” to plant for experiments I wanted to do to extend my growing season. I was searching online for French Fingerlings, a potato that grows & produces well in my zone. Knowing it wasn’t the right time of year for finding seed potatoes, I was in hopes to find a company that may have some in storage (as us homesteaders keep for planting next seasons crops).
I found a company that had some, or so I thought. I misread the description thinking it said SEED POTATOES but went back and looked after I received my order to find that it said French Fingerling Potato Seeds. I had received a little packet of tiny seeds. What the heck? I assumed I had gotten scammed, so just put the seeds in my seed collection and forgot about them UNTIL I was researching yesterday about the determinate/indeterminant varieties of potatoes. The info I read spoke of potatoes flowering AND WITH PROPER WEATHER CONDITIONS, the flowers would get pollinated & produce the potato cherries which contain seeds. Then I looked up info on POTATO CHERRIES and found more info that peaked my curiosity. I remember the 1st year I grew potatoes. I had beautiful plants I had planted in half 55-gallon drums. They produced beautiful purple flowers, which I had no clue they would flower. I didn’t examine the plants after they died back to see if I actually had the tomato cherries/fruit. I harvested the potatoes & discarded the dead tops in my compost pile. I wondered why I had potato plants emerge in my compost pile and just ASSUMED I had left some of the small tiny round tubers on the plants.

I DID discover that the small little tubers WILL sprout as I had saved a bunch of the smaller tubers in with my “seed potatoes” to plant this year. Most every one had sprouted, I planted them a few weeks ago and they have actually produced plants! I’ve always been told that something that small would not produce a plant and when you cut potatoes to plant they had to be a certain size. I CALL BULL CRAP on that theory and have proof growing in my garden now!

Just thought I would share this with you. I’m going to plant those seeds I ordered to see if I can grow seedlings to plant and do more experiments. Just cause… 😉

PS…is that you in the vid Oxbow Farm & your channel?? I watched a bunch of those vid’s last night and have learned so much.