fruiting potatoes

[Tracey]

This is my first year growing potatoes, so sorry if this is a daft query. After flowering some of my potato plants have tomato like fruits on them. Is this normal? Should I pick them off?

Thanks

Tracey

[Tracey]

Hi, I've managed to google and answer. Here it is if anyone's interested.

"Occasionally gardeners are surprised to find small, round, green, tomato-like fruit on their potato plants. These fruit are not the result of cross-pollination with tomatoes. They are the true fruit of the potato plant. The edible tubers are actually enlarged, underground stems. Normally, most potato flowers dry up and fall off the plants without setting fruit. A few flowers do produce fruit. The variety 'Yukon Gold' produces fruit more heavily than most varieties.

The potato fruit are of no value to the gardener. Potato fruit, as well as the plant itself, contain relatively large amounts of solanine. Solanine is a poisonous alkaloid. The small fruit should not be eaten. Since potatoes don't come true from seed, no effort should be made to save the seed."

Tracey

[pjh75]

One of these fruits have appeared on my roosters... good job you posted Tracey otherwise I would have been asking.

[Capsid]

Potato and tomato are in the same family (along with Belladonna!), the flowers all look very similar.

[Alice]

Tracey, it.s relatively common for these fruits to form on potatoes. They are poisonous. Don't eat them or plant them. Otherwise you can ignore them.

[lynda66]

Potato and tomato are in the same family (along with Belladonna!), the flowers all look very similar.

now i'm worried i have deadly nightshade (belladonna) growing in my hedge, it doesn't cause a problem ..... but if it is cross pollinated with my tomatoes or potatos, could there be a problem ?? scuse me if thats a dumb question

and sorry for hijacking, need to know if i should rip it out or not

Lynda xx

[Demeter]

Don't know f they could, but even if they do cross-pollinate, it will only affect the seed, and since you don't want to save and use the seed for next year - no problem.

[lynda66]

Don't know f they could, but even if they do cross-pollinate, it will only affect the seed, and since you don't want to save and use the seed for next year - no problem.

i have just read that peppers and aubergines are the same family too, and thats what I'm worried about, if it affects the tomato seed, could they become poisonous, i have googled and can't find anything ..... i may rip it out in case, shame really I've always liked it, was going to grow some in my front garden too, as its very Gothic, it would fit right in

[Norm]

Every year is a new growing season. If in doubt, start from scratch.

[terrier]

Seed potatoes. Seeds come from the fruit of the plant. I always assumed that seed potatoes were grown from the seed of the potato plant thereby eliminating disease (can't be transmitted through the seed). Silly me!

[Flummery]

However, if you wish to produce a new variety of potato you can grow your 'seed' - as stated, it won't come true. If I sow the seeds from the fruit of a King Edward I won't get a King Edward - I'll get the first Queeen Flum! This is how potato breeders get a new variety. What you get when you sow a seed potato is a clone. What you get when you sown the seeds from a potaot fruit (sometimes called true seed) is a new type of potato. As with apple pip sowing, before you get a handsome prince you have to kiss a lot of frogs, but somewhere in there are our new varieties of potato. JUST DON'T EAT THE SEED!

[stv]

I assume it ok to compost the seeds?
Can anyone confirm this?

[Flummery]

Should be - you compost the rest of the plant. It will all rot down in due time.