Tom Wagner is coming to give a workshop on potato and tomato breeding on Saturday and Sunday 17th-18th of October at Brown
Envelope Seeds.
Tom has been breeding vegetables for many years and has developed some well known varieties of tomato, such as Green Zebra and Brown Berry and Banana Legs. He has a large potato breeding program and has had success in breeding blight resistance into old varieties. The Irish Lumper was the most widely grown potato in Ireland before the famine. Its decimation by blight, caused the famine. This years difficulties with new strains of blight in Ireland highlight the importance of breeding for resistance.
The workshop starts at 11am, and costs €80. The workshop fees all go to Tom for his traveling expenses. To secure your places please send a cheque or postal order, to Brown Envelope Seeds, (Ardagh Church Cross, Skibbereen, Co. Cork), or transfer funds to AIB Skibbereen account no. 27102260 sort code 93 63 75.
Here are few words from Tom on his Tater Mater project in Washington.
"In my attempt to create new types of potatoes, I stumble upon
crosses that I make that stir my imagination in many ways. When I dug
my variety that I call NAVAMEY, I was impressed with the vine and the
natural production of many potato berries that are likely selfed with
an occasional out cross. The potato vine is a breeder's dream, a
round russet with yellow flesh with just the right size plant,
maturity, and yield.
Looking at the cross extracted today between NAVAMEY and LUMPER, I
was struck by the memory of the pedigree background coming full
circle; namely the Irish connection. Since the weather here in the
PNW is much like where my grandfather Joe Kaighin lived until he was
21 near the Irish Sea on the Isle of Man, I was hoping to get some
more germplasm that would complement my endeavor of keeping his
potato growing spirit alive.
The LUMPER did very well this year in one or more patches; good
yields and good flavors. Since I am the only one doing breeding work
with this two hundred year old potato variety, the progeny of my
breeding work may some day be released to the public.
The LUMPER is uniquely suited to organic production and does well in
a broad range of soil types. Breeding away from its Irish Famine
history of Late Blight susceptibility, I hope I can re-acquaint
people with better selections of this heritage potato! "
Some of the topics covered will be:
The history of Tater Mater Seeds
The development of some of Tom's classic tomatoes such as the Green
Zebra, along with dozens of other varieties that are available in the
open market.
How Tom is rapidly accumulating a large germplasm of potato clones
and TPS (True Potato Seed)
Hands on demonstrations of how to cross tomato and potatoes, many
times with actual plants and with video and power point presentations.
Tom will talk about how he has taken just a few varieties of potatoes
and tomatoes and created a vast diversity of seeds for the future.
By using heritage potatoes and tomatoes, and adding some newer
releases to cross with, Tom is working with these to create
tomorrow's heirlooms.
Tom will discuss making F-1 hybrids that anyone can make over and
over again. He will talk about making backcrosses and taking each
year's seed increase to the filial level of F-5 on tomatoes which
indicates a rather stable line. Tom will illustrate how his potato
lines have better berry production which aids hybridization efforts.
Tom will talk about the nutriceuticals of tomatoes and potatoes; the
essential nutrients that these crop could contain with a bit of
breeding expertise. Enhanced antioxidants, anthocyanins,
carotenoids, lycopene, are but a few. Fast cooking times in his new
potatoes clones that cook in 5 minutes in boiling water will be
featured in his topics. Through a variety of breeder/grower
initiatives beginning with the workshops, there will likely be many
cooperatives dealing with plant breeding and variety development
starting with seeds of Tater Mater.
These workshops will be part of an effort to keep seeds free and
available to the public and not be allowed to be controlled by major
seed companies, universities, or governments.
A concerted endeavor will be launched to work with local heritage
varieties to incorporate them in variety improvement and to avoid
GMO's at all levels.
Potatoes can be grown from true seed and avoid the virus
contamination of tuber trades. TPS is but one way to foster
diversity and reach local needs for flavor, storability, yields,
disease resistance, all with organic growing methods
The workshops will features many ways to look at seed extraction,
seed saving, clonal selection.
Single seed descent and bulk population breeding and variety
maintenance will be discussed.
The workshops will try to feature local gardens and local growers.
The goal is to find ways for this to help Tom in his work and how he
can help local growers in return.
Video and audio recording will likely be part of many of these
workshops. Some of those may be shown at succeeding workshops to
show the growth of the information exchanges. A few clips of how to
cross potatoes and tomatoes may be linked to the Tater Mater blog.
Many still photos will be shown of his tomato and potato varieties.
Each of these workshops will invite anyone to submit questions to
answer during the workshops and/or later in an interactive format.
With sufficient interpreters present, these answers will be delivered
in the original language.
Workshop fees will go towards Tom's travel in Europe and to free up
important new seeds to be introduced. As Tom devotes more and more
of his time to being a seed ambassador of sorts, these fees will help
continue his workshops towards the future.
The goal of Tater Mater Seeds is to get young people involved in
plant breeding, therefore, if Tom can be a mentor and teacher for
many potential plant breeders, justice is done.
During Tom's 56 years of breeding plants, he has not only proven that
anyone can be a home garden plant breeder but will show many how
they, too, can be plant breeders. His unique collection of
proprietary seeds of tomato and potatoes will be a great resource for
plant breeding groups in each nation.
Tom started out breeding plants on his family farm near Lancaster,
Kansas. He kept a family heirloom bean alive and growing each year
in his gardens from a few beans his great grandmother brought to the
USA in 1888. He kept growing new selections out of his breeding work
even while he obtained degrees in Anthropology, Botany, Geography,
and Education. His career includes farming, managing garden centers,
managing greenhouses, potato buyer, potato and tomato breeder under
contract, teaching, seed catalog, and a wide host of other
professions. He has offered many of his creations in Farmers' Markets
and has introduced his varieties to other organic growers.
Tom stays busy with his TaterMaterSeeds forum and is a moderator on
the Tomatoville.com for CrossTalk and Potato sub forums.
Tom currently lives in Everett, WA. His plots are all organic and
shuns any chemicals applied to the soil.
Tom Wagner
8407 18th Ave. West
7-203
Everett, Washington
98204
425 512-0313
Cell 425 894 1123
