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Posted by Chole (U14312633) on Friday, 18th June 2010
Im really confused im a first time potato grower, ive been told that you have to wait for the potatoes to flower then the flowers to die.
They have done this now however ive noticed a sweeling into where the flower was. It is about the size of a cherry tomato and is green, what is this?
Im guessing its not a literal potatoe fruit but its grown in a similar way making me wonder what is it?
Any help would be great
Glad you raised this... thought I was going barmy last week when I saw my potato flowers bulging. I did wonder wether I have been putting the correct feed on them... have I been encouraging top growth and flowers, instead of encouraging root growth? My fertilizer has a picture of a potato on it, so I will be really cross if it is the wrong stuff. Last year they died from blight, and the year before that the wind knocked all the stems over, so don't have much spud experience to refer to.
The small round things growing where the flowers were are indeed potato fruit. What you recognise as a proper potato is a tuber, a swelling of the root. That's what you eventually harvest and eat. As for the immature fruit, take 'em off and compost them. Don't eat them!
I think this is quite normal (from what I remember reading on here last year) but the fruits are very poisonous. Can't remember whether or not it is best to take the fruits off the plants but I'm sure someone will give advice on that.
Hi Chole, My potatos flowered but did not wait for flower set dug one up and had lots of new potatos size of hens eggs lovly and sweet try one of yours. AL
I'm always puzzled about what toxic materials you can safely compost -- potato fruits and foliage,rhubarb leaves, foxgloves etc. A thorough composting process should eliminate the toxins but sometimes the process is not that efficient eg. at the edges. Having said that, I've never heard or read of any problems from composted 'poisons'. Has anybody else?
Those potato fruit are poisonous and should be removed,not because they are poisonous but because you don`t want them.
And as to putting potentially poisonous stuff into a compost bin-not only does the process of composting deal with say,the oxalic acid, the amount of somesuch in a decent sized bid is negligible if any
Hi Chole, Dont waste too much time on red fruit bin them and get them tubers up and enjoy. AL
When are potatoe ready to dig? One or two of my plants are beginning to turn yellow, they have not flowered yet. Ahat should I do, dig them up or spray them with something?
Not all potatoes flower. Are yours ready to dig? Take a hand fork and gently scrape the soil from around one of your plants and see what you find. If the spuds are very small then leave them to grow. However if the tops are yellowing then that's it; they've stopped growing and you may as well dig 'em up.
Thank you for that Oldends, i will test my yellowing plant tomorrow.
Re: the potato fruits, pick the flowers out to help the plant concentrate on what you really want rather than the stuff you dont want. Sammie
This does indeed come up every year, I do wish the people who pack potato tubers for sale would include the information that potato fruits are actually very poisonous indeed. They do of course look like tomatoes, they could hardly help doing so being 1st cousins, but wheras it is the fruit of one we eat it is the roots of the other.. Do often wonder how people found out and how many people died or at least got very ill before it was clear what was which!
I have the most enormous potato plants this year, never seen them so big, but am not sure it necessarily bodes well for what is underneath crop wise - will try maybe next weekend, dig one just to see.
the fruits are indeed poisonous,take of flowers and your crop will be better,Alan
, in reply to message 14.
Posted by Playingtimeaddedon (U14150224) on Wednesday, 23rd June 2010
I agree with Alan.
Take the flowers off when they appear.
Why let the goodness go to producing the 'fruits'?
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