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TomTato - would you?

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by genuinemommy, Oct 1, 2013.

?

Would you eat a TomTato?

  1. Yes

    16 vote(s)
    100.0%

  2. No

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    It's a tomato! It's a potato! No, it's a TomTato!

    Would you eat fruit off this grafted plant?
    Would you plant it in your garden?
    [​IMG]
    Sure, I'd eat it!
    No, it's not a GMO. It's just a potato plant that has been grafted to a tomato plant. The leaves seem to be somewhere between a tomato and a potato - quite large for a usual tomato vine. That's the only thing that would set it apart from the usual tomato plants in a garden, until it's time to yank it up at least! Once the season is over, and it's time to rip up the plants for the oncoming winter, that's when you notice the potatoes.

    I would expect the fertilization requirements for this plant to be quite high, and I'm not entirely sure that my garden plot has enough sun to pull it off. Besides, I really like the look of potato plants mixed in among my tomatoes and peppers. I've only ever gotten itty bitty potatoes in our plot - something we term "potitos", we also get tiny radishes and carrots. That's what happens when you live in a townhouse and you have a crab apple tree shading your entire garden...

    Read more about the new plant here:

    'Tom-Tato' Grows Potatoes And Tomatoes - Business Insider
     
    genuinemommy, Oct 1, 2013
    #1
  2. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Sure, I'd at least try it. Two of my favorite items from the garden. :D
     
    Borla, Oct 1, 2013
    #2
  3. Cayvmann

    Cayvmann Very Tilted

    Location:
    Central North Carolina
    It's food, so I'm up for it.
     
    Cayvmann, Oct 1, 2013
    #3
  4. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    No more yankie my wankie, the Donger need food. :cool:
     
    rogue49, Oct 1, 2013
    #4
  5. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    What a spacesaver. I'd totally try it.
     
    snowy, Oct 1, 2013
    #5
  6. Stan

    Stan Resident Dumbass

    Location:
    Colorado
    Not until the price comes down, a lot.
     
    Stan, Oct 1, 2013
    #6
  7. Xerxes

    Xerxes Bulking.

    Sure I would.
     
    Xerxes, Oct 1, 2013
    #7
  8. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    'Tis an abomination!

    Burn it with fire!

    (Actually, it's pretty cool. I double I'd actually deal with it though.)
     
    Baraka_Guru, Oct 1, 2013
    #8
  9. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    In theory, I don't see why not. If it's just a graft, it's just a graft.

    In practice, though, I couldn't eat have one, because Jews are prohibited from grafting two species together, or eating the products of such a graft. It's one of our more obscure commandments, I grant you, but there it is.
     
    Levite, Oct 1, 2013
    #9
    • Like Like x 1
  10. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    Ummm... Levite... if you do want to take that ancient food law seriously, we need to have a serious discussion about the definition of a species and current methods in crop science. Grafting is an exceptionally common practice, and is a part of nearly all successful orchards - from peaches to oranges and everything in between. Root stock vs. fruit stock... two very different beasts.

    I sense another thread coming on.
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2013
    genuinemommy, Oct 1, 2013
    #10
    • Like Like x 1
  11. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
    My uncle had a couple of trees that bore both pecans and walnuts. They were probably grafted, but long before he bought that land.
     
    Lindy, Oct 1, 2013
    #11
  12. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    Most assuredly they were grafted.
     
    genuinemommy, Oct 1, 2013
    #12
  13. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    I don't eat tomatoes, so no.

    And the soil has to be just right for potatoes, and Ohio doesn't have it. Plus it is a lot of work digging up potatoes. I did that as a kid enough.
     
    ASU2003, Oct 1, 2013
    #13
  14. THEPRISEINFERNO

    ThePriseInferno Slightly Tilted

    This is intriguing. I'd be interested in trying it for sure.

    Growing it? I dunno. I definitely have a magenta-thumb, so I'm not sure that I would be able to make it grow in a garden of my own.
     
    ThePriseInferno, Oct 1, 2013
    #14
  15. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    This is what I was wondering about, given Levite 's professed love of apples and wine.
     
    snowy, Oct 1, 2013
    #15
  16. spindles

    spindles Very Tilted

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    The issue with planting potatoes? You need a *lot* of plants/space to get a decent crop. Most people just don't have the space for a decent crop. As it is, I have a garden that self seeds cherry tomatoes, so don't need to go out of my way to plant any more. So, while this looks like a decent idea, your potato crop size is going to be pretty limited.

    Home grown tomatoes are definitely better than store bought, though :)
     
    spindles, Oct 1, 2013
    #16
  17. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    I won't get too into it, because I don't want to threadjack, but the quick answer is that the law is generally understood not to refer to hybrids or crossbreedings, but is interpreted to mean widely divergent species that have had fruit-bearing limbs or vines or whatnot grafted onto trunks or limbs or stalks of other species. So grafting apple 1 onto the tree of apple 2 doesn't count, but grafting potatoes to tomatoes would.
     
    Levite, Oct 2, 2013
    #17
    • Like Like x 1
  18. MSD

    MSD Very Tilted

    Location:
    CT
    How diverse can you get with grafting? If I pick a few that tolerate similar climates, will my dream of a fruit salad tree some day come true?
     
    MSD, Oct 3, 2013
    #18
    • Like Like x 4
  19. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    MSD Kind-of... they're called cocktail trees. I've seen graftings of the following combinations:
    Tree 1: peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, almonds
    Tree 2: oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, cumquat
    Tree 3: quince, pears, asian pears, apples
    Some of these (like a quince/apple graft) require an interstem to facilitate the graft.
     
    genuinemommy, Oct 4, 2013
    #19
    • Like Like x 1
  20. absorbentishe

    absorbentishe Vertical

    Location:
    T O L E D O
    Really cool concept! I would love to try it.
     
    absorbentishe, Oct 7, 2013
    #20