Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Potato Seed Berries

Jim requested potatoes for supper and when informed that we had used the last of the 'store-bought' supply, he headed for the garden with grandson Devin Gould and Willis the Cat in tow.


Seconds later Devin burst into the kitchen commanding, "Meme, you have to see this--the potato plants have grown little green tomatoes!"

 
We pondered this, never having seen such an occurance in many years of gardening. I was vaguely aware that both potatoes and tomatoes belong to the nightshade family of plants [solanaceae] and that because of this relationship tomatoes, once called 'love-apples,' were formerly considered unfit for humans to eat.


An internet search gave us the information that potatoes sometimes set these 'seed-balls' or 'seed-berries' when long days [think June] coincide with a spell of cooler weather.

 
Yukon Gold potatoes, our favorite, are particularly prone to this seeding process. Interestingly, although some of the seed stems were bare I found no green 'berries' rolling about in the potato rows. None of the other potato varieties are making seed balls.


What seemed like a casual garden errand provided a learning moment and some nearly perfect
Yukon Golds for the evening meal.

 
As well, Willis the Cat found opportunity for garden supervision--he takes all discoveries in stride.


For more on potato seed balls, go here:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/pottoms.html


 

7 comments:

  1. I well remember the fruit of the deadly nightshade. My beautiful purple Royal Robe vine is all part of the same family. It's common name is potato vine.

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  2. Well you learn something every day ....how interesting. xx

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  3. That's very interesting and I'll bet the Yukon Gold potatoes were delicious.
    Lillian
    lillianscupboard.wordpress.com

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  4. Very interesting, I've never seen anything like that. I knew that tomatoes were a member of the nightshade family, but I didn't realize potatoes were too.

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  5. Well well. Fact is stranger than fiction here.

    Willis must think he is the Boss Cat! He is such a pretty boy.

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  6. Fascinating - thank you! I love the sound of Yukon Gold but getting them in the UK may be a slight problem.

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  7. Yes, I am familiar with those potato berries, - we had them in our potato patch probably ten or twelve years ago, - it must have been a June much like this one. I haven't ever seen them since and I can't remember if the potatoes were Yukon Gold but it is quite possible they were.

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