Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Potato berries and TPS (true potato seed)

**Tom Wagner** · September 30, 2007

For some reason, direct seeding in the field never worked well for me. The potato seed is small and must be covered lightly and the wind will dry out the seedling bed too much. If one had almost daily or twice daily sprinkling of water, you may succeed.

I prefer the greenhouse method of seeding, transplanting once in the greenhouse to bury the cotyledons and first true leaves or so. Then the transplanting the field with further burying of the leaves. By several hilling ups, the original root zone is several inches below the surface as it would be with tuber planted potatoes. Obviously direct seeding has problematic disadvantages; seedlings too short and stocky for hilling up, weeding difficulties, too cool, or too hot of soil.

If I get time to fill in the detail, I will expand on this in my web site, still a work of progress.

Tom

September 30, 2007	#5
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	For some reason, direct seeding in the field never worked well for me. The potato seed is small and must be covered lightly and the wind will dry out the seedling bed too much. If one had almost daily or twice daily sprinkling of water, you may succeed. I prefer the greenhouse method of seeding, transplanting once in the greenhouse to bury the cotyledons and first true leaves or so. Then the transplanting the field with further burying of the leaves. By several hilling ups, the original root zone is several inches below the surface as it would be with tuber planted potatoes. Obviously direct seeding has problematic disadvantages; seedlings too short and stocky for hilling up, weeding difficulties, too cool, or too hot of soil. If I get time to fill in the detail, I will expand on this in my web site, still a work of progress. Tom