Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
lkittle_gw

What is it? A tomato on a potato plant!

lkittle
14 years ago

Hi All! today I found a first for me and at my age thats not easy. I was checking my garden where I am growing some vegies and came across a potato plant with a tomato looking fruit on it. I took off one and split it open and inside it looked like a small green tomato. I took a picture of it and I'll try to post it.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Comments (7)

  • sprtsguy76
    14 years ago

    I believe its called a potato berry, it has seeds in it and if you plant those seeds you will get a potato plant.

    Damon

  • digdirt2
    14 years ago

    Agree they are NOT a tomato. Many varieties of potatoes develop seed pods may look like a fruit but they are not and as already mentioned, are poisonous.

    If you save the pods when they dry, store the seeds inside, plant them next year, you'll get small seed potatoes that can be planted the following year to get potatoes. Unless its a rare variety or one is hybridizing potatoes, they are normally just pitched with the plants when they die back.

    You'll find several discussions about this situation over on the Growing Vegetables forum.

    Dave

  • lkittle
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi All; Thanks for the info I was a little taken by surprise when I found the fruit/seed pod and started to do some resurch and found several sites with the same info you have posted. I have grown potatoes lots of times and have never seen these pods on them. Perhaps because I harvested them before any developed or the varieties didn't produce them so readly. Any how I will keep and dry some just to see if I can grow some small salt potatoes from them.

  • catman529
    14 years ago

    Many varieties of potatoes develop seed pods may look like a fruit but they are not and as already mentioned, are poisonous.

    Actually they are fruit, technically berries, much like a tomato. Remember that potatoes also belong to Solanaceae and produce fruit similar to tomatoes. I think almost all Solanaceae produce berries of some sort. Yes, the potato fruit is poisonous. Basically everything but the tubers is poisonous.

  • carolyn137
    14 years ago

    Many varieties of potatoes develop seed pods may look like a fruit but they are not and as already mentioned, are poisonous.
    Actually they are fruit, technically berries, much like a tomato. Remember that potatoes also belong to Solanaceae and produce fruit similar to tomatoes. I think almost all Solanaceae produce berries of some sort. Yes, the potato fruit is poisonous. Basically everything but the tubers is poisonous.

    *****

    Solanaceae is the Family and there way over 100 different genera within that family that includes many shrubs, petunias, and lots of other flowers and shrubs and who knows what else, without looking at that list of Genera, and most of them form no fruits at all.

    One of the Genera within that family is the genus Solanum, and within that genus we have:

    Solanum lycopersicon, tomato
    Solanum melogena var. esculentum, eggplant
    Solanum tuberosum, potato

    So I think you meant to refer to the Genus Solanum, and not the Family Solanaceae. ( smile)

    Carolyn

  • digdirt2
    14 years ago

    I suppose technically an argument could be made that tomatoes are seed pods too - just edible ones. Although for many years they too were considered poisonous.

    But you call those "things" ;) on potatoes fruit, and someone will think they are edible - untill they cut one open and see it is nothing but seeds. But call 'em seed pods and hopefully they won't - try to eat them.

    Dave

Sponsored
Prime Custom Kitchen & Bath
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars43 Reviews
DC Metro's Award Winning Custom Design, Build, and Remodeling Company