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Wed, Jul 20, 05 at 20:46
| I have a couple of potatoes that have formed fruit that contain seed. The fruit looks like a small tomato. The vines are dried but the seed does not look ripe. It is white and soft. Anybody know anything about potato seed. "Seed potatoes" are a no brainer and of no interest. I read that the year Luther Burbank came up with the Burbank potato that he had six seeds to plant. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by adirondackgardener z4a Adks. (My Page) on Fri, Jul 22, 05 at 20:50
| True Potato Seed is proving to be a boon to agriculture in poorer countries with little resources to handle & store the huge amont of "seed potatoes" (tubers) required to produce new crops year after year. The promise of crops from true seeds goes a long way to reducing diseases perpetuated by storing and planting "seed potatoes." The main problem that is being overcome is the potatoes tendancy to produce seeds that produce plants very different than the parent plants. I'm no Luther Burbank, but I've been wondering about this myself and am planning to save some true seeds to experiment with (play with, to be more precise) next year. I did notice that after marking some plants with fruits, the fruits mysteriously disappeared. I think there is something patroling my garden that likes to eat these. By the way, it's important to note that the fruits, as well as stems & leaves are poisonous to humans, from what I've read. Wayne in the Adks. |
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| I too have read that the leaves are poisonous and also any green skin on a tuber that sticks above ground but poisonous can maen different things. If you sat down and made a meal of potato leaves you might get a belly ache but I believe the danger of getting really sick is pretty slim. Rhubarb leaves and poinsettia are probably in the same class. Back to seed saving: If nothing eats the fruits, when do you harvest them? |
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| I did a little searching and found that potatoes contain solanine and oxalic acid which can be poisonous. Oxalic acid is also what's in rhubarb. I haven't found any numbers for solanine but I did find that if you eat 110 pounds of potatoes (not leaves) there is a 50% chance that the oxalic acid will kill you. I guess I better cut back. I also found that if you cook the potato leaves before you eat them, they are safer. P.S. Oxalic acid dissolves rust stains such as in a bathroom fixture where there is a lot of iron in the water. Two great products: Iron Out and Rust Out. |
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| Being an old farmer, in our area we use last years small potatoes to plant more potatoes......When the old potatoes get eyes on them (sprouting) slice them with a knife. Potato. With at least one eye on each piece and plant them. We never did Luther's idea........... Racetowin |
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- Posted by Ginger Bailey(Gingerbailey93@yahoo.com) onSun, Jul 24, 11 at 16:24
| How do I store true potato seed for next season? Do I just treat them like bulbs, or do I dry them out? I have gotten quit a few this year and would like to try to grow them next year. |
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