Beyond Luther Burbank

**Tom Wagner** · January 30, 2008

That's a working title for a book about potatoes. After several hints from book authors and my family, I may just start the baby steps towards putting some outlines down, writing a few essays, how to features, using fascicles of potato drivel and power point illustrations.

Dr. Carol Deppe and I are going to put out a very small demonstration plot of my potatoes in Oregon. Pretty much confirmed that today. She is convinced that some potatoes on organic ground with absolutely no irrigation, relying simply on rainfall, generate the best flavors. This would be a test to verify our suspicions and experience. Anything positive would substantiate credibility.

I am too much a fan of Burbank, not to demonstrate my life long ambition to do anything similar to what he has done. I know of Burbank from legend and by reading his volumes. To emulate Burbank is to go beyond Burbank, thus my title.

How many people on this forum have growers producing a million pounds or more of his/her varieties? How many gardeners on this forum have a variety that they can't have, that they produced from their own breeding efforts?

There is an article being published about me being one of the rarest of private breeders of potatoes. The issues brought up in this article will spearhead many of my concerns regarding diversity and experience.

Dr. Deppe wants me to demonstrate a variety or two that can be maintained every year by TPS (true potato seed) and that will be easy.

More later

Tom Wagner

January 30, 2008	#1
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	Beyond Luther Burbank That's a working title for a book about potatoes. After several hints from book authors and my family, I may just start the baby steps towards putting some outlines down, writing a few essays, how to features, using fascicles of potato drivel and power point illustrations. Dr. Carol Deppe and I are going to put out a very small demonstration plot of my potatoes in Oregon. Pretty much confirmed that today. She is convinced that some potatoes on organic ground with absolutely no irrigation, relying simply on rainfall, generate the best flavors. This would be a test to verify our suspicions and experience. Anything positive would substantiate credibility. I am too much a fan of Burbank, not to demonstrate my life long ambition to do anything similar to what he has done. I know of Burbank from legend and by reading his volumes. To emulate Burbank is to go beyond Burbank, thus my title. How many people on this forum have growers producing a million pounds or more of his/her varieties? How many gardeners on this forum have a variety that they can't have, that they produced from their own breeding efforts? There is an article being published about me being one of the rarest of private breeders of potatoes. The issues brought up in this article will spearhead many of my concerns regarding diversity and experience. Dr. Deppe wants me to demonstrate a variety or two that can be maintained every year by TPS (true potato seed) and that will be easy. More later Tom Wagner