Grow Your Own Magazine

I planted some potatoes left over from a 56lb sack

They have grown well but having flowered are now fruiting!

The fruit looks like green tomatoes

I have never seen this before

Will the fruit produce a seed?

Is it edible , I am loathed to try it.

Any info welcome

NO IT IS NOT!

Fruit from potato flowers is poisonous! (As are green potatoes)

The spuds (underground) are fine but please don't eat the fruit.

Sorry - ment to add Hi, welcome to the 'vine!

The fruit might well set seed but what sort of spud you would get is anyones guess - not the type you planted certaintly!

The flowers will have been 'open pollinated' which means that pollen from a.n.other plant (spud) will have crossed with 'your' spud. The cross-breed might be a fantastic new variety - or a total waste of time and effort. potatoes from seed as supposed to tuber can take several years to produce a worthwhile crop - so I wouldn't bother unless you have ground to waste.

Thanks

Wont eat the fruit and I will eat tubers

Growing the seeds sounds like a wate of effort

Is the fruiting quite common then? I dont recall seeing it before

I've seen it several times over the years - cool wet years more than hot dry ones thinking about it!

Welcome to the vine, when the potatoes flower, good time to water like crazy even with all this rain we're having and when the flowers start to fade, pick them off to stop the green fruit - highly poisonous - and if you leave on just suck up all the water and take the goodness from the potatoes.

__________________
Best wishes
Andrewo
Harbinger of Rhubarb tales

Well Im pleased some-one asked this question as I found exactly the same thing on my rotting potatoes that Im in the process of digging up after the allotment was flooded.

We used to call them spud apples. I recall seeing them occasionally on my dad's spuds when I were a lass. I don't think I've seen them in recent years but I only grow earlies which might be the reason.

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Welcome to the Vine Bertie. The fruits you mention are known as potato apples and are very poisonous. DO NOT EAT THEM. It's not unusual for potatoes to produce these fruits. I wouldn't bother about the seeds unless you have time and space on your hands and want to try it out as a pet project.

__________________

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Just noticed yesterday that my potato plants have quite a few fruits on and they're still in flower. I've only heard them called 'tomatoes' by other gardners.

Hiya

I have the same thing growing on my spuds - I was also going to ask on a post but never got around to it. I have some in the kitchen but I will now throw away.

Thanks
Lorraine

__________________
http://warmanallotment.blogspot.com/