Potatoes, Sweet & Irish by D. J. Young

Author:D. J. Young
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Published: 1981-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Seed potatoes should be selected from hills producing from 4 to 5 medium sized tubers, such as shown here.

Select from good producing hills medium size potatoes as shown here. Store for next year’s seed stock, away from those potatoes stored for consumption.

The initial source of these plants is the potato designated as foundation seed stock. Foundation stock is exactly what the term “foundation” means: a base upon which anything is started. It may be compared to the certified Irish potato seed.

The plants are produced by planting the foundation seed stock potato in specially constructed hotbeds. When the plants are six to seven inches long, they are pulled with the roots from the foundation seed potato and transplanted to the potato bed. When they are used in that manner, they are called draws. The draws are sometimes cut about one inch above ground in the hotbed. When used this way, they are called cuttings. They are allowed to grow a little taller to compensate for the part left in the hotbed below the cut. When cuttings are taken, the original sprout will continue growing, creating another plant.

Draws or cuttings supply the initial plants for the first potato crop. From this crop a grower selects hills producing the best quality and largest quantity of potatoes, and from these hills selects potatoes to produce draws and cuttings for his next year’s crop. These potatoes are called seed stock. They are different from the foundation seed stock only in the sense that they are derived from the foundation seed stock.

A grower can produce his own seed stock for four or five years without losing the desirable characteristics of any particular variety. Periodically, new foundation seed stock should be used to renew those characteristics.

The foundation seed stock, or the seed stock, when placed in a hotbed to produce draws or cuttings, is called the mother potato.

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