TPS Potato Growing - What to Expect?

This isn't Yukon Gold anymore Dorothy!

There are differences when you are growing TPS seedling potatoes compared to growing commercial potato varieties.  This video will point out several of those differences so the newbie TPS grower will not be surprised.  TPS potatoes often show growth habits and features never seen from commercial potatoes, because any seedlings that show these traits are destroyed/culled by professional potato breeders.  The main reason for this is they make the potatoes unusable by commercial growers who harvest their potatoes with machinery.  When you grow potatoes from True Potato Seed (TPS) you will likely see the following

Long rampant vines, sometimes in excess of 5-8 feet from the planting location.

Extremely abundant flowering and fruit production, especially in the seedling year (weather permitting).

Long Stolons and/or runners, including sprouts from the plant popping up out of the ground many feet from the planting location, they also may end up producing tubers many feed from the planting location. 

Variability.  TPS seedlings are genetically unique from each other and even when grown from a self pollinated parent variety, TPS seedlings will exhibit variability for shape, color, size, and yield, as well as plant growth characters like maturity, vine vigor, stem and leaf color, flower color, flower fertility, and disease resistances.  No two seedlings will be alike.

This video was created in response to a question about TPS availability from a commenter.  He described himself as a "prepper" and he wanted to buy a pound of TPS to have in his survival seed stash.

Presumably he was planning on being able to grow his own potatoes once the world had come to an end.  The problem with this idea is that TPS do not grow themselves.  Unless you have an understanding of how to grow the tiny seedlings, pot them up, and get them established, your chances of success are minimal.  The only people who would have success are folks who actively garden/farm and understand the needs of plants in general, and potatoes specifically.  A pound of TPS in the stash is useless, but a knowledgeable grower can produce hundreds of pounds of potatoes from a few grams of TPS.  

I also wanted to give a big recommendation to the Torp Tomaten channel, to those interested in TPS growing. She has some fantastic TPS growing videos, as well as general gardening videos.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTy-RuKf39RZMGC6B9rLdgQ

Видео TPS Potato Growing - What to Expect? канала Oxbow Farm