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07-07-2008, 11:37 AM
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 When to pick off potato fruits. I've got quite a few fruits on my potato plants, which I'd like to use to grow potatoes from seed. They're very green at the mo, the size of cherry toms. When should I pick them off? And what do I do with them once picked? By the latter I mean storage, when to plant...etc. Ta muchly in advance!  Di      |
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07-07-2008, 11:47 AM
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| Why not just keep a few of the tubers back and plant them instead? It's not recommended as it may promote disease. |
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07-07-2008, 12:27 PM
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| I beleive it's the other way round. Diseases like blight CAN be passed through the tuber but not through the seeds. I'm hoping to try the same myself. I'm not sure when they are ripe. I'd leave them as long as possible then maybe a brisk whizz in a food-processor wirth some water (VERY short whizz!) should break the seeds out. Dry them on a plate on a wildowsill. Sow in spring. That's what I red on t'interweb and I'm going to do. Has anyone here done it before?
__________________ Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated October 12th |
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07-07-2008, 12:33 PM
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| Oh darned... I didn't realise you could plant these and pulled a load off the other day  But I didn't get to the huge patch on the 1st lottie so will have check them out next week when we have our 'Potato Fertle Fest' (13 weeks since they were planted, can you tell I'm excited!!)
__________________ Shortie "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter |
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07-07-2008, 12:36 PM
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| Mine have all dropped off!  My spuds fruits, that is! I'm on a promise from a couple of grapes to save me one though.
__________________ Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated October 12th |
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07-07-2008, 12:38 PM
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| Sorry, I meant that keeping tubers and replanting is not recommended. Although I will do this for my expensive blight resistant spuds. |
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07-07-2008, 12:47 PM
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| Quote:
 I might be totally wrong here, but if they dropped off doesn't it mean they're maybe ripe?Otherwise, if I manage to get any off mine you're welcome to some, though I can't remember what I planted (buu I can tell you colour and size etc)
__________________ Shortie "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter |
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07-07-2008, 01:14 PM
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| So maybe the best thing to do is gently test how strongly they're attached every so often. If they pull away easily, then they're ripe and I can dry 'em out. They look kinda cute, on the plant! |
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07-07-2008, 02:03 PM
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| I have been researching these fruits and I think the cherry tom size is about as big as they get. I opened up one of smaller ones a couple of days ago and it was crammed full of small seed about the size of large strawberry seed. I'm going to lift the first lot of spuds very soon so will be drying them before harvest. Think if we share the seed fruits - it will be safer to transport them green and padded rather than wait for ripening at 'parent' home. I have already promised Flum a fruit and reckon I can repeat up to 10 times - so get your requests in now if interested and I'll reserve. We'll do the SAE thing later. Variety - Salad Blue - and believe me they're VERY blue! Last edited by quark1; 07-07-2008 at 02:03 PM. |
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07-07-2008, 02:12 PM
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| I'm going to save mine from the main crop for you Flum! I've not forgotten. Unless it was earlies you were after...in which case I have a few that I didn't nip out and can save. I'll save as many as I can and get them sent to you later in the year.
__________________ Andrea :wavehello http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...logs/zazen999/ moon trials completed: tomatoes [46% increase in crop per seed sown and 10% increase in crop per plant] currently underway: calabrese garlic |
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07-07-2008, 02:59 PM
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| So let me get this right...  I pick the fruit, open and plant as a normal potato? I guess the don't sprout as they'll be tiny... normally you wait 13 weeks from planting to lifting - what about these tiny dudes?Ooooo I'm all excited now? Also, if your pots get scab etc, should you discard the seed or will the seed be okay?
__________________ Shortie "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter |
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07-07-2008, 03:45 PM
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| Quote:
__________________ Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated October 12th |
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07-07-2008, 04:56 PM
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| I would have assumed that potato fruits are like any other fruit and it should be left on the plant to ripen for as long as possible. The fruits dropping off would not necesserily mean they have matured enough. Still what the heck it's worth a go with nothing to loose. Good luck to all those budding horticulturists. Ian |
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09-07-2008, 11:04 PM
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| If i get any of these that actually grow larger than the flower bud before they fall off then you are more than welcome to them, Will keep you posted |
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09-07-2008, 11:11 PM
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| i did this last year, i picked the green fruit and left it to ripen on the window sill. when it was black i cut it in half and scoped the seeds onto a paper towl. when these were dry i placed them in an envelope. i planted them in late march and i now have two healthy plants in smallish 15cm pots pots. i wasn't expecting much but i'm certainly excited by the prospect of their harvest. Quark - i'd love some of your blue seeds i may have some super cucumber seeds later in the year if all goes to plan. |
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10-07-2008, 12:35 PM
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| Shortie's getting confuggled... I've been a Googling and have found that you are supposed to finely chop the fruit and soak in water. Over 24 hours the seeds will sink and the bits to throw will float. They then need to be dried. But another article I read suggested that the seeds will produce small tubers for planting the next year - so do the seeds produce 'seed potatoes' or just smaller crop per plant of normal potatoes?  Also I've read that the seeds are only known to carry spindle tuber virus across, not other diseases.. Here's where I've been reading: More on disease and agricultural use Potatoes: Top of the plant for tip-top seed WikiPedia Article: Potato - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
__________________ Shortie "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter |
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10-07-2008, 12:54 PM
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| I think that's the fermentation method of collecting the seeds. To be honest it's a simlar way to collecting tomato seeds...same family so it makes sense. It's not what i did but hey i'm sure it'll work too! If anyone's intrested potato seed is normally reffered to as TPS (true potato seed) if you google it you'll have plenty to read. http://www.stumbleupon.com/demo/?rev...-breeding.html http://www.stumbleupon.com/demo/?rev...7/june/ns3.cfm |
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10-07-2008, 12:55 PM
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10-07-2008, 06:20 PM
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| I had no idea what 'potato fruits' were!! I then went out to inspect my "Charlottes". One of the plants has green tomato-like fruits hanging from where the flowers once were!! From what I've read from above, you can split them & they are full of seed that you dry and grow potatoes plants from the following year? I always thought spuds were from tubers!?!?!? Is it worth leaving these on plant to ripen before picking off to save the seeds? Do other people do this for next years potato plants? |
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10-07-2008, 10:13 PM
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| hi Lemon (welcome to the vine by the way) Potato is grown from tubers because that way you know what you are going to get. Potatoes grown from seeds will not resemble the parent plant, so it's pot luck saving seed. Growing from seed is going to be an interesting experiment I think (still not sure whether I will have a go, I have got fruit on my maris Peer), and you *might* get something amazing, but you're definitely taking a bit of a chance if you don't also plant some tubers from a known variety as a fall back!
__________________ Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.  |
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11-07-2008, 10:36 AM
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| Seed potatoes, or the tubers we buy to plant, produce a clone of the original plant. No variation. True seed, the seeds in the little fruit at the top, as Demeter says, produce a huge variety. Most people don't grow their spuds this way. You usually want an early salad spud, a maincrop roaster, etc. With tubers you can guarantee what you'll get. However, there's a bit of experimental fun (that they haven't yet taxed!) to be had by growing from true seed so a few of us are going to try. Demeter already has!
__________________ Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated October 12th |
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11-07-2008, 12:57 PM
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| That's my chances shot to pieces When I popped to the lottie after work last night I went wafffling away to Mr Shortie dragging him up to the potatoes to show him the fruit explaining how I wanted to experiment next year with them etc... Nothing, nada, zilch. Where there were loads 2 weeks ago when I last looked, they've vanished. I searched the ground around the potatoes but they weren't there either Hey ho, next year I'll be super quick off the mark, and will watch everyone's updates with interest 
__________________ Shortie "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter Last edited by Shortie; 11-07-2008 at 12:59 PM. |