I am growing desiree potatoes for the first time, which are in flower. They have started baring a sort of fruit which look like small green tomatoes. I haven't had this before and wondered if I should pick these off or leave them. Any advice would be welcome.
thanks,
Alison
Poisonous - let'em be!
Try to remove them all when you remove the haulm. Any that drop onto the soil may result in a crop of potato seedlings next year. If any of your plants have blight the seedpods can also carry the blight over.
allipally, you could try growing the seed from inside them, ie use them for seed potatoes. You never know you might get a fantastic new variety.
valmarg
Kepouros - that's a useful one.
Quote from: valmarg on August 07, 2007, 22:40:36
allipally, you could try growing the seed from inside them, ie use them for seed potatoes. You never know you might get a fantastic new variety.
valmarg
As fun as this sounds, what if you discovered a new variety with extra high solanine levels?
As fun as this sounds, what if you discovered a new variety with extra high solanine levels?
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What's solanine?
valmarg
You should remove the flowers from your Desiree plants so that more effort goes into forming the tubers and not the flowers.
Its the flowers that turn into the small tomato looking seeds you describe.
Solanine is in the green part of a potato when its been left in the sun and is very toxic
There speaks the Medical Profession?
Many moons ago I heard on GQT that by removing the seed pods, yield can be improved by around a ton per acre (tonne per hectare) !
I was told to remove the flowers by a gent who had an allotment for 37 years.
he said it never failed to increase the yield.
"Tim", I was in the medical profession for 22 years(and 77 days ;D) but no longer
Fork, RAMC I notice................certain cure for a broken leg was always to have a gargle first. Did me no harm 22 years man and boy in KoSBR (funny thing is that the leg still hurts abit!)