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Okay, was going to ask what I now realise is a daft question and ask if the purple flowers below were actually potatos or something more poisonous (aren't potatoes similar to the nightshade family? Hence my worry...)

I now realise that potato flowers aren't always just white thanks to google images but any idea if specific pots have purple and white flowers? The link I found said their photo were of Sarpo pots....

Below are my two different potato flower that are growing in my compost bin...



Any ideas appriciated. If they are particular typw of pots, any idea when I need to pull them or should I just wait until the foliage and flowers die back?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Dont pull the flowers off Shortie, wait until they die down.If they are first earlies about 13 or 14 weeks after planting, second earlies about 16 weeks and main crop about 20 to 22 weeks.
Can't help with the type of potatoes they are from the flowers however.
Have you not got a label or a bag from when you bought them.

They all look like potatoes to me Shortie. And Agree with Bramble about the timings. Do you know what you planted and when ? Don't know what colour of flowers specific varieties do but my Charlotte did purple flowers and were read after 14 weeks. Eating them now and just gorgeous.

Unfortunately not.... they were a surprise growth!

Have absolutely no idea what they could have been as I tend to just buy what's cheapest in Tescos at the time or reduced, I don't go looking gor one type of potato... could be anything!

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Shortie if they were potatoes from Tesco's then it is unlikely that they are earlies more likely to be main crop. Tesco's here have a limited variety of potatoes so I think it might be quite easy to find out what variety they are.

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[

The purple flowers look a bit like the ones on my Maris Peer and the white ones look like those on my Nicola. Not sure if other varieties have similar flowers though.

Errr.... do the flowers when they die off, produce a seed head? Looks a bit like the starting of a tomato....?

The foliage still looks really healthy and it's got more flower buds on it...?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Well Shortie it will look like a tomato as they are the same family - thats why you shoulgn't grow toms on ground that has had spuds on & yes it is a seed pod so assuming you don't want to go into the production of new varieties pinch it off.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Cheers Nick.

I'm totally paraniod about them as they're growing in my compost so was never 100% sure they were potatoes or nightshade of some form. When I saw the seed heads I was adamant they weren't potatoes!

I'll pick the pods off now. Phew!

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

I think Nightshade is the same family as well !

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

That's my worry.

Nightshade doesn't produce tubers though does it? .... or does it? If it does, I'll have to really areful if I do find any tubers, to make sure they are potatoes!

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

It does Shortie & it looks just like supermarket spuds

..... only joking Trust me it will be seed pods on your spuds. If you take these off don't throw them in the compost as they may germinate in there & you'll have spuds everywhere !

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Arrggghhhhh! Tell me you're joking the last bit!! I picked them off and lobbed them in the compost bin. Oh heck

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Ah well you may be OK just keep your eyes out for baby spuds

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Silly question... Do new plants grow from the top fruit of potatoes or are you having us on?!

Mmmm...

Would I be so cruel ?

The answer is yes they do, if you were trying to breed a new variety you would grow it in sucha away that i didn't make tubers but flowered & set fruit. This fruit is then harvested & the seed sown & grown on - it takes about 2 years to get them to the stage where you can harvest a few tubers of them - bit like the micro plants that you can buy.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Do I have to answer that Nick

Only joking. Love you really. Of course you wouldn't

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

what are those microplantS?

Hi Shortie,

I am amazed at the similarity of your photo to a picture of my Chilean Potato Vine (Solanum Crispum I think is the name). I've never grown potatoes myself, so don't know what the flowers look like, but they are idential to my ever green climber! Obviously this is related by more than just name.

The Chilean Potato vine is a member of the nightshade family, but it doesn't produce tubers (well.... none that I'm aware of!), so if you get tubers, I'm sure it's safe to assume they're spuds!!

Here's a link to what's growing in my garden - but I think from the sounds of it (with everyone else's suggestions), you've got spuds....

http://www.paghat.com/bluepotatovine.html

They do look similar don't they? I did wonder that when I very first realised they had purple flowers, but then realised it wasn't attempting to climb and was too busy.

Just wish the things would die back so I can lift them out, have a nose (and hopefully a crop) and check/turn my compost. Can't open the bottom at the moment as the flowers are growing out of the bottom door and will snap ann the foliage clean off if I open it

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Just wondering what was the result of this Shortie? Did you get any spuds?

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

[quote=Shortie;21062]They do look similar don't they?
[quote]

Just to mention that the Chilean Potato Vine (Solanum Crispum) and Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are in the same plant family, hence similar flowers.

Also Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and Eggplant (Solanum melongena) as well. Its the flowers on the plants that taxonomists study to classify plant families.

More info here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum

Potatos sprouting in the compost heap are possibly the product of potato peelings, or those very small spuds that got thrown out.

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