potato fruits!

 i wouldn't know crap from christmas when it comes to potatoes, but i read
somewhere that potato plants will very, very occasionally make fruits.

3 potato plants have come up spontaneously in my back yard (which is rather
good as i'm out of spuds atm) & now all three have fruits!! i can't believe
it. i'm going to see what happens after all the flowers die off & all. the
potatoes are some sort of white ones, sebago or something (i dug around &
had a look), which i wouldn't normally grow cos i like pink taties.

it's nice to get something unexpected, but doubly nice to get something
doubly unexpected.

does anyone know if the fruits will have viable seeds? how would one tell
when the fruits are ripe? (atm they look not unlike little tresses of green
cherry tomatoes.) we are overdue for the first frost of the year so the
plants & i are making the most of it while we can. first frost is normally
mid-march. (gawd!)
thanks!!
kylie

 
yes it is - it only happens to particularly special, worthy people upon whom
mother nature smiles.... <g>.

this topic seems never mentioned in garden info, so i guess it might be a
trait of some potato kinds under some circumstances, or something.


some of my fruits have gone slightly purplish & fallen off (this could be
for any reason e.g. animals), the others are just getting bigger.

if i get to it, i might save some & see what happens if they're sown next
spring. or something. but it rather sounds like only worthwhile if i feel
like it, not much to be gained...
kylie

 
Not true. Happens for us good-for-nothing unworthies, too.


Peter Cundall answered all of these questions for you last Fri/Sun. He
said the seed pod is poisonous; either cut it off (I guess the plant
expends some energy into growing it) or leave it to get composted when
the plant expires.
--
John Savage                   (my news address is not valid for email)