Didnt see a grow report for TPS, so I figured I’d start one up!
On March 3rd I sowed TPS into a covered tray outdoors in a mix of native soil along with a bit of leftover potting soil and some perlite to help with drainage. I have quite the variety of TPS varieties, including some from Metchosin Farms here in B.C. Canada and a few varieties from a Ukrainian etsy seller! I am pretty sure i am seeing pretty decent germination though ive never grown TPS before so i could be wrong about my seedling identification since there are a lot of random weeds poppin up throughout as well. Correct me if im wrong!
I did something similar with my TPS from GTS, except during a heat wave I’m afraid some of them got burned through the window! I’m sure I’ve had less than 20% germination so far… but that’s enough, if they bring me something interesting.
I’m trying to do like Joseph Lofthouse says on his website and start them in 1/2 inch of soil and then add soil as I go along. Unfortunately this means the soil dries out very quickly if uncovered (warm enough now) and I feel like I have to water a lot. If I were to start again at this point I might mass germinate them in something like a microgreens tray, then transplant them to a 72-cell tray or so. I tried to use a wide enough container for all of them to be about a cm apart and I think I overdid it. I used a cardboard box because I didn’t want to buy something and that also means it dries out quickly. The biggest cotyledons you see are not potatoes, something in the soil, maybe a brassica?
Oh no! Glad you still got some germination. Some is better than none, eh? Ive been worried about overheating as well, so the lid stays off from now on until we get a downpour.. dont wanna rot em!
Adding a little soil at a time is smart, hilling them right off the bat. Could you send me a link to Joseph’s website, please? I can imagine the constant watering gets a little tedious, otherwise it looks like ya got a good setup! I have mine in about 2inch of soil but was thinking of stickin em straight into the ground when they have a couple true leaves… or should i transplant them into larger pots then into the ground?
I thought of circling the pictures of seedlings i thought were spuds .. definitely not the big weedy lookin things! Here is a few pictures that might be a bit better. I sowed pretty heavily since reading how low the germination rates can be, which is why i think the clumps of similar looking sprouts are hopefully potatoes starting up… they look quite different shaped than yours though so maybe I’m wrong
No yeah that looks like them, yours are farther along than mine, I’ve only got a couple with true leaves. Or maybe I have even fewer potato seedlings than I thought? I guess we’ll see. I’m seeing diverse shapes but all sort of similar, two tiny leaves that are oblong and some, I think, that are pointed.
had great germination from what I’ve read, these are all from GTS TPS mix and Im so excited, this is my first time growing, they were seeded march 12th! I had them on a heat mat that got to 75/80 depending on time of day, took them off the mat after 10 days when many had germinated , sowed in a bought soul mix, mixed with compost from my garden! Oh also GTS artichokes!
Im wondering when I should uppot them? Is it like tomatoes should I up pot when they have true leaves, into 4 inch pots and then plant out a couple weeks after that?
Woohoo, those look fantastic! The artichokes look good too. Im also trying out artichoke this year but not from gts.
I have the exact same question in regards to up-potting… perhaps try different methods and see what works best? The less steps involved the better in my opinion so i might just stick em straight into the ground when they seem sturdy enough, though i can see how moving them into a larger pot would be beneficial before the final transition inground.
If you’re using small cells you will want to up pot them. If the cell gets too full of roots the plant will think this is the only resources it has and start making potatoes, and never really grow to size at all.
If you have them in something larger like full solo cups or small pots maybe not.
@KadenceLunemann thanks for input that’s kinda what I was thinking will pot them up soon! @Suluye yay to artichokes! Germination wasn’t great, but that’s okay, Im so excited to eat artichokes and use the leaves for making my own bitters!!
Looks like all your potato cotyledons are pointed so I guess I only have about 7 so far if that’s what they’re limited to. They’ve been slower to come up than whatever weed seeds in my soil. Thanks for sharing!
Hi everyone - nice to meet y’all, I’m Molly @ Organic Seed Alliance (OSA). I love potatoes! Here’s some photos of the different TPS I started on March 18 2026. The GTS TPS (pink (diploid?) and purple [via Cultivariable]) had GREAT germination (I hear germ rates ++ in Y2 vs Y1). The Cultivariable Blue mix and Portly Fingerlings didn’t germ so well, but I still got several!
Finally got the time to pot up my potatoe babies, planted into 75% compost and they’ll stay in here till i plant them out, amazing to see how big some of the roots were…a couple were almost 3 inches long, they’ll be much happier now, and nettle the dog was keeping watch to make sure I watered everything in enough!!
This is my first time growing so I don’t know if they are limited to pointed cotyledons but that seems to be true from this GTS mix, I was surprised the cotyledons weren’t fuzzy but the true leaves and the stems are, so fun observing something for the first time, I’ve been growing most my veg from seed for like 7 years now and it’s so fun that every year there’s so much to learn!
Did yours start germinating more, I just up potted mine but there were a bunch that had just germinated too!
Those look so good!! I was gonna wait until my seedlings are an inch or two tall b4 potting up but im wondering if i should do it sooner because the tray they are in is only 2inch deep, soil level about 1.5 inch deep.
I was pretty impressed with the root growth, all those cells were pretty full of roots all tangled within each other, sowed march 12th for me, but mine were also in cells so they had less room for there roots than yours, but it definitely felt like they were happy to get some more room, perhaps moving your largest ones first? Im sure some are behind (later germination)
yes! If I’m not sure what it is, I’m letting it get true leaves, and so far only one of my potato seedlings is getting true leaves, so yes they’re a lot slower… there was some black medic and field bindweed. I weeded so I could count better and now I have about 20. They seem to like the added soil, but once germinated aren’t growing much taller. I have lost a few so I keep recounting.. Here’s one I have with a triple cotyledon. Maybe I should prick out and pot up, but it is convenient to have them all on one tray like this while moving them in and out of doors for the freezes. I guess I have the mesh trays as well.
Oh wow, mustve been a relief for their little roots to stretch out heheh. I always think of that when transplanting “spread out roots, you arent all squished up anymore, you can be free now!”
Good to know the seedlings can handle compacted spaces for a little bit, I’ve been unnecessarily concerned about micro spuds forming
Yes, i certainly have some potato sprouts a lot smaller than others so i will be up-potting in multiple sessions…
Glad it is a zen experience for you! It is for me if i do things at night when my little one is asleep, otherwise it is a bit chaotic hahaha
That is so real, kiddos make things fun, but often not very zen, lol. My friend has two kiddos under 3 and I go and help and garden with them a lot and it’s always, how much can we get done in the short window of opportunity between changing or naps or whatever the day and the kiddos have in mind! Moms are rockstars and gardening moms are superstars!!!
I guess we’ll see. I’m seeing diverse shapes but all sort of similar, two tiny leaves that are oblong and some, I think, that are pointed.
so I guess I only have about 7 so far if that’s what they’re limited to. They’ve been slower to come up than whatever weed seeds in my soil. Thanks for sharing!
