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Post by mogarden on Mar 20, 2013 6:57:29 GMT -6
Until this morning, I had never heard of wild potatoes growing anywhere north of Peru. Shows what little I know! Reading over a book about the work of Luther Burbank, I see where he mentions crossing the "wild Arizona potato" with others to make some new hybrid. Solanum jamesii and S. fendleri are two varieties of true potato that grow wild in New Mexico and Arizona. I don't have much to say since I don't know much about them. I'm still stunned to find out about these plants. The internet brings me a lotta garbage and sometimes a real nugget.
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Post by jerseycub on Mar 20, 2013 8:24:39 GMT -6
Until this morning, I had never heard of wild potatoes growing anywhere north of Peru. Shows what little I know! Reading over a book about the work of Luther Burbank, I see where he mentions crossing the "wild Arizona potato" with others to make some new hybrid. Solanum jamesii and S. fendleri are two varieties of true potato that grow wild in New Mexico and Arizona. I don't have much to say since I don't know much about them. I'm still stunned to find out about these plants. The internet brings me a lotta garbage and sometimes a real nugget. The property that we live on was subdivided from a old potato farm, the original home on this site was a relocated army barracks use for the migrant workers, we completely renovated it and added on to make it a ranch style house since. The original farm was about 250 Acres. Ruth and I have grown potatoes here and they do well. You have me wondering if any potato seed would have survived over the years from the old farm and be growing some ware. I wonder if there are any wild potatoes in NJ? I do know we have wild asparagus growing around the area, and Polk thanks to caveman pointing that out fer me when he was here. |
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Post by mogarden on Mar 21, 2013 3:51:25 GMT -6
Could be. I know the genus Solanum is a large one. Many versions of small black berries like wonderberry or black nightshade grow here in mid TN. Some are no doubt feral, (I mean they are survivors of once tame plantings) but back when I did a lot of wildcrafting I'd see plants I couldn't identify. Maybe there'd be only one little patch, that is until somebody decides to build a house there.  |
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Post by Pharmer Phil on Mar 22, 2013 4:42:40 GMT -6
seems possible that some feral types could be growing about in the wild...I know some of the best horseradish I ever had we harvested from a ditch along a country road once in Missouri
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Post by mogarden on Mar 22, 2013 11:03:56 GMT -6
I'm still learning stuff Burbank did a hundred years ago that nobody seems to have followed up on. He made some weird crosses.....
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