In 2005 I saved some true seed from some Nepalese blight resistant potatoes. I grew several hundred seedlings. Below are some of the tubers from that first year 2006.
Over the last four years I have grown them out every year, usually treating them really badly. For example, one year I didn't get around to lifting them till it was time to plant them again. Other years I have forgotten to weed them. A couple of years ago we taste tested them with the students from the Kinsale Permaculture course and narrowed them down a bit further. This year I left the tubers in a bucket until sometime in May when they looked like prunes with long green sprouts, then I planted them.
When I lifted them earlier this week there were three types left. The best yielder was the pink and white variety. I decided to call it Ardagh Susan after my sister who died earlier this year. The white variety was a very smooth skinned and scab resistant. It will be Ardagh Autumn after my elder daughter. The solid pink one had rather poor skin but was the 'flouriest' I have decided to call it Ardagh Holly after my younger one. 
I have put away plenty of seed potatoes in the beautiful apple storage box that Mike made. he copied the old one that Sylvia gave us, and Bridget and Noel kindly brought back from England for us. It is full of apples now.
I hadn't realised potatoes would be so resiliant (although I shouldn't be surprised given the places we've often found them growing!)
ReplyDeleteSo they're blight resistant - excellent - I'm guessing you already have Blue13 and Pink6 blight strains in Ireland. This tends to suggest that some kind of citizen breeding project could yield locally adapted varieties. What was the name of the original variety/ies? If these show a good level of blight resistance it 's probably worth continuing to breed from them.
ReplyDeleteI still read you blog (using an RSS feed), so I thought I'd comment. How are Autumn and Holly nowadays?
ReplyDeleteAre you still fiddling? I'm still fluting, and it's still getting better - that's one benefit of having so far to go, I suppose.
We are starting a vegetable garden - an "orto" as they call it here. It's half-way through being dug over for the first time.
And the weather? Dare I ask? Coldish but still often sunny here.
The girls are fine, Autumn is in Austrailia. She is 23 today. Holly is in Waterford studying sports injuries, she will be 21 next week. I still play a bit, took up accordion as well. We have had the best summer weather-wise since I can remember. However it is raining now and a bit miserable.
ReplyDeletegood luck with the orto and love to Sarah.