I wonder if the domestic or wild varieties of seed would have a better chance for adaptation to new ecologies? Wild genetics seem like they could provide a lot of vigor but it sounds like the domestic var. ken aslet would give the best chance for tuberizing on time. Maybe some of your domesticated mashua seed will combine the earlier tuberizing of Ken with the better taste of the others. I’d like to try both seed types here in Virginia, where it gets hot in summer. I would be hesitant to try the tubers given their less adaptability vs. seed.
This is a great question, but I probably don’t have enough experience to give a good answer. This is the first year that we have been able to produce mashua seed in quantities sufficient to sell. In general, I find wild mashua to be a more fragile plant than the domesticated varieties. It is both less tolerant of dry weather and has more slender stems that suffer physical damage more easily. I think it is reasonable to suppose that seeds from Ken Aslet will be more likely to transmit early flowering and tuber formation. We have one seedling this year that flowered early. Our domesticated seed mix will probably be about 50% Ken Aslet, since the longer flowering period means more seeds. We’ve grown out only a few seeds of mashua silvestre and the seedlings are almost indistinguishable from the parent varieties so far.
Seeds should be back in stock around the end of November.