Potato seeds are deadly nightshade?!?

[Scottishnewbie]

well tonight was my RHS level 2 course at college and,as usual i couldnt wait to get there and learn 'stuff'!

not sure i wanted to learn what i did though. we were covering stem tubers and our tutor advised us that those wee green tomato looking things we sometimes get on out potato stems are in fact the seeds (i already knew that so was feeling pretty pleased with myself at this point) THEN came the bad news...

DO NOT AT ANY POINT ADD THESE TO THE COMPOST HEAP AS THEY ARE FROM THE SAME FAMILY AS DEADLY NIGHTSHADE

needless to say , in my ignorance i HAD added it the the compost and when i asked her what remedy i should take she told me under no terms should i add the compost to anything that i was every likley to eat!

so what advice do my fellow grapes have to offer please?????

[zazen999]

She's mental.

Unless she eats her own compost; in which case....she's insane.

I add to the compost heap ALL the stuff I'm not eating; otherwise I'd eat it.


ETA: ok, insane is a little strong; just misinformed perhaps...

[allotmentlady]

nuts, crackers, potty lol.....................

[Scottishnewbie]

done a bit of googling and found this Poisonous Plants — Deadly Nightshade

[MrsC]

She's a bit potty, yes, they are in the same family along with toms, but you wouldn't eat the contents of the compost heap would you Belladona, the italian or latin phrase thingy came from the stuff they put in their eyes to make their pupils bigger, it was appealing to men, so the say!

[quark1]

Those tomato looking thingies are not the seeds they are the seed cases! But both are quite poisonous if eaten, as is everything above ground with the potato (including spuds exposed to light and greening) and if stored for use as seed should be kept safely away from 'little hands' and pets.

I would have thought that when in compost over the time it takes to break down and be ready for use much, if not all, the poison would have been broken down and perhaps leeched away in the process. I'm no chemist on the breakdown of poisons but it would be interesting to find out.

Additionally - manure/urine is foul stuff - but both can be used on the garden and the root systems of the plants filter out the nasties and you'd never know by the taste of it you'd eaten manured or piddled on crops!

[Scottishnewbie]

good point quark....still feeling a bit uneasy though as cant remember how many i've added to the heap during the summer!!!!!

[MrsC]

You'd have to eat a lot of green spuds to be ill, same with rhubarb leaves.

[zazen999]

good point quark....still feeling a bit uneasy though as cant remember how many i've added to the heap during the summer!!!!!

Why are you feeling queasy....you haven't been eating your compost have you?

[snuffer]

I have been growing potatoes in the garden and on the lottie for years. All the haulms (including the tomato like fruits) have been composted with no ill effect.

Don't be worrying about the poisons in the compost. When a farmer harvests the potato crop I doubt he goes through the field removing all of the fruits. Can you imagine how many must get returned to the soil. This has been going on for years and years. If there where to be any detrimental effect I'm sure we'd all be aware of it by now.

Use your compost when it's ready and don't give it a second thought.

[SlugLobber]

I put most of my potato fruits in the compost. Like others say, if you don't plan to gobble your compost, I think you'll be safe!

[Flummery]

How do these people get (and keep) their jobs?

[Scottishnewbie]

oh, now i feel better! as usual mountains of good and sensible advice from you lot! funny how one wee comment came affect you eh?

thanks......and sorry for being a divvy! x

[zazen999]

she told me under no terms should i add the compost to anything that i was every likley to eat!

Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Home Composting

Rhubarb leaves = poisonous to eat but recommended on their guidance.

I'd be asking where in the RHS guidelines it says do not add potato 'seeds' to compost; I think she has got mixed up between adding deadly nightshade [as a weed] which can be invasive and potato seeds being related to DN and thus putting 2 and 2 together and making 5.

I'm tempted to email RHS and ask - I can if you want. Just let me know.

[Hilary B]

How do these people get (and keep) their jobs?

Says it all really!
OK if you get 'volunteer' spuds growing from the seeds in those fruits, it could cause some potentially risky confusion (if kids eat the fruits, confusing them with green tomatoes, they can get a really nasty stomach upset, and in sufficient quantity THAT might kill), but there is NO possibility of any other danger from including them in compost.