My potatoes are doing weird things

Hi I planted a couple of rows of potatoes along with a couple of zuchinni plants some green peppers and 9 tomato plants.
I notice on my first row of potatoes that before the blooms came on the potato plants had some of them growing little balls that looked like tomatoes on them. The plants also appeared to be wilting and falling down and the stems are appearing as if they were not getting enough water. I cut the little balls off and proceeded to let the plants stay till they flowered and left them to do the normal wilt down prior to picking the crop. However most of the plants had not many potatoes on them and they were not a good size, and the smaller ones already had gone to seed. Can anyone through any light on this for me please as I do not want to have the same problem next time I plant.
Thanks
Angie

You arent supposed to prune potatoes.

I found this. Hope it helps.


FROM: Iowa State University Horticulture & Home Pest News

Occasionally gardeners are surprised to find small, round, green, tomato-like fruit on their potato plants. These fruit are not the result of cross-pollination with tomatoes. They are the true fruit of the potato plant. The edible tubers are actually enlarged, underground stems. Normally, most potato flowers dry up and fall off the plants without setting fruit. A few flowers do produce fruit. The variety 'Yukon Gold' produces fruit more heavily than most varieties.

The potato fruit are of no value to the gardener. Potato fruit, as well as the plant itself, contain relatively large amounts of solanine. Solanine is a poisonous alkaloid. The small fruit should not be eaten. Since potatoes don't come true from seed, no effort should be made to save the seed.

This article originally appeared in the 7/2/2004 issue.

thank you for your info but the reason I cut the balls off is because I have grown lots of potatoes and have never had any that produced balls and I found an article on the web similar to the one you have posted here but it said that the balls were poisionous and should be removed. So that is what I did. Howver my main concern is the fact that the plants are withering up and the ones that we dug up only had a few potatoes on them and they were small and most of them were already sprouting roots on them like they had gone to seed. This is what I am trying to find out about. What would cause this sort of thing?
I am at a loss because they were watered everyday so I know it is not lack of water.

Have you any more idea's about what might be going on

I dont think I would say that the seeds are worthless and to cut them off, but I am not an expert by any stretch.

Thats actually how Luther Burbank started in his life's work of plant breeding. As a boy, he worked in his family's garden, he discovered that a potato plants flower and fruit can contain viable seed. He planted the seed and from one came the burbank potato.

Another thing is that not all potato plants will produce these berries so the fact that you havent seen them before doesnt surprise me.

Another thought I had is about your watering...

How are you watering everyday?

If its just enough to get the soil wet that could be a potential reason you had a poor harvest. Large watering twice a week is better than small amounts of water everyday. The water in most cases doesnt get absorbed deep enough in the ground for the roots to go there and use the water so they stay close to the surface where the water is.

It was just a thought that I had, though since you have been growing potatoes for a while I assume that you know how to water etc so its perplexing.

Good luck, Sorry I couldnt be more help... I am not sure why the potatoes would start to sprout at harvest.

Narny

This message was edited Aug 30, 2011 9:06 PM

I water every day using a sprinkler system and run it quite a bit to get the ground really wet as my zuchinni and tomatoes etc need quite a bit of water as well. When I finish watering the ground is thorougly soaked that is why I dont understand why they look like they are not getting enough. I will try to get a picture of the plants tomorrow and post it as maybe there is something else going on with them that will show in the pics.

thanks for trying to help though I really appreciate it

We have had the same thing happen here this year both on new types of potatoes.Red & white variety. We left the seed pods alone and let them grow. So far we a nice crop. What I found on the internet on this was something to do with whether your spuds were grown from tubers off of old spuds or a seed type of new hybrids. Not sure I have used the exact right words. I also read more than once.... that the seed pods which looked like small green tomatoes are very toxic! Don't eat them. I have never seen these before either & I have been around vegetable gardens my entire life.

thank you for confirming the bit about them being very toxic and I am glad that I am not the only person now experiencing this. You info has been very appreciated.

Hello... I'm new to this site, but understanding companion Planting, You should not Plant Potato's with Tomato's, Potato's like Corn, Green Bean's, and many other Plant's, but not Tomato's.. Just a suggestion... Like all, I'm still learning, and as they change the DNA, of seed's, and cross pollinate, and Genetically Modify, there will be much more to learn, I have four Organic Garden's at my Home now, and generally keep the Best Produce from each one for Seed, for the following season, there are Companion Planting sites available...if you do a Search, All thing's in the garden much like life aren't Compatible...I hope this Help's..

Mutant pomatoes?

Try this link.. http://www.curzio.com/N/Potato_starting_from_seed.htm .I had a similar experience this season with my spuds,they also grow in with my tomatoe's.I think the only real problem with that is that they suffer a similar diesease and could transmit to eachother I think.But in saying that,I haven't had any problems at all.I will try a diferent aproach next season though,just in case.

The reason you don't plant potatoes, tomatoes,eggplant and others together is that they all belong to the nightshade family and are subject to some of the same diseases.

Here's what I'll say here, I'm very attentive to changes in the environment, I've never been an activist, an Occupy anything, but I see changes, in unruly weed's, and the way some seed's grow, I've seen distinct changes in the insect's I see now, and until I'm sure why, that's where I will stop...