Fruiting potatoes

[dandelion]

Some of my potato plants (Valor I think) have produced cherry tomato sized fruits. Should I remove these ????

[dandelion]

[amphibian]

Some say removing them increases yield, I have no idea if this is true.

[umshamrock]

One of the old timers on my allotments said that the fruits are full of arsenic (bc potatoes are related to deadly nightshade) and to remove them with gloves and put them on the compost heap.

[TEL]

i have valor & am the same have dug 4 or five roots and they were good . Leave them on & dig your spuds they ar ready

[amphibian]

Aren't valor an LMC?

[tilts]

a what?

[redimp]

Late maincrop.  I only grow early maincrops in the hope that I can lift them before blight becomes endemic.  I am growing valor and I am sure they are an EMC ;)

[tilts]

aaahh.






now i know

[Robert_Brenchley]

Not arsenic, but the green parts of a potato plant do have something nasty in them.

[supersprout]

Some say removing them increases yield, I have no idea if this is true.

I believe that GQT did a test some time ago and couldn't find any difference. Commercial growers don't do it - QED! But if you have kiddies who are likely to fancy a nibble, do discourage them :P

[trojanrabbit]

Haven't found any reference, but Supersprout is right about commercial growers, so it probably doesn't matter one way or the other.

As a purely academic discussion, it seems reasonable to suppose that like any plant with bulbs or tubers letting it put energy into seeding will lead to less being stored for overwintering. OR just to really confuse matters, does the end of fruiting slightly advance die back for the end of season?

Oh yes, and REALLY don't eat the fruit! They look like tomatoes because they ALMOST are - tomatoes/potatoes/nightshades all the same family. The toxin common to all of them in the foliage and most fruits goes by the name of solanine, and actually acts as a defense against a lot of pests/predators/parasites, possibly antifungal too.