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htuttle

(23,738 posts)
Mon Jul 2, 2012, 04:52 PM Jul 2012

My potatoes have fruits!

My potatoes grew fruit this year -- I don't mean tubers, I mean little marble-sized fruit above the ground. I didn't even know that they could do that until I saw them on the plants and looked it up.

They look like little greenish tomatoes. Apparently, they are poisonous to humans and the potato seeds inside them 'don't breed true', which I take to mean that they could sprout any one of the various cultivars that went into the hybridized seed potatoes that grew them (which sounds kind of cool, actually).

Nonetheless, has anyone ever done anything with potato fruits or the seeds inside?

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My potatoes have fruits! (Original Post) htuttle Jul 2012 OP
Potatos are close relatives of tomatos. postulater Jul 2012 #1
You really can't use the berries for anything. Denninmi Jul 2012 #2
glad you posted this tru Jul 2012 #3
We've also seen the fruits on our potatoes, but so far haven't tried working with them. Ruby Reason Jul 2012 #4

postulater

(5,075 posts)
1. Potatos are close relatives of tomatos.
Tue Jul 3, 2012, 12:55 PM
Jul 2012

If you have limited space you can plant them in the same hill.

Use a whole potato. Scoop a hole in the potato the size of the tomato plant's root ball. Set the tomato into the hole and plant the entire thing in a hill.

Make sure to water and keep well-nourished. You will get potatos in the ground and tomatos on the top.

Then you don't have to find a use for the potato fruits.

Denninmi

(6,581 posts)
2. You really can't use the berries for anything.
Tue Jul 3, 2012, 12:57 PM
Jul 2012

They're quite toxic. I guess in theory you can turn them into a spray for whiteflies and aphids, similar to they way you might make a garlic spray, but I don't know the details.

But the seeds definitely can be saved to start a new generation of potatoes in your next growing season. Not very hard, treat them just like you would a tomato, eggplant, or pepper, same growing conditions. Give them about a 6 to 8 week headstart before transplanting to the field.



 

tru

(237 posts)
3. glad you posted this
Sun Jul 8, 2012, 09:23 AM
Jul 2012

I have many potatoes as they volunteer in the compost piles. I might have been tempted to try those.

Ruby Reason

(242 posts)
4. We've also seen the fruits on our potatoes, but so far haven't tried working with them.
Fri Jul 13, 2012, 08:25 PM
Jul 2012

Funny you mention it though, because my husband was just saying that if this year's crop sprouted some we might try growing potatoes from seed next year. At least trying a few. If you give it a try let me know and I will do the same, provided we actually get some fruits this year. So far none have been spotted.

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