Uses for Potato Vine Fruits

Potato Seeds

• Each potato fruit contains about 240 seeds. You can plant the seeds, but unlike growing potatoes from tubers, the results are unreliable. Because of centuries of cross-breeding, each of the seeds in a potato fruit may produce a different kind of potato. Since you can't predict the type of potato that will grow from the seeds, horticulturalists don't recommend wasting time and valuable garden space growing them. But if you have some extra space in the garden, you might enjoy growing a small plot of "surprises." Universities and research institutions use the seeds to develop new potato varieties.

Extracting the Seeds

• The easiest way to separate the seeds from the fruit is by fermentation. Mash up the fruit and place it in a jar or glass. Add water to fill the container about half full. Set it aside and allow it to ferment for about four days. The seeds will sink to the bottom, and the fermented mashed fruit will rise to the top. Pour off the remains of the fruit, and save the seeds. Dry them out before storing them for spring planting.

Compost

• Potato vine fruit contribute to the quality of the garden soil and provide a rich source of nutrients when you compost them. Compost potato vine fruit in a hot compost pile to kill the seeds. Encourage heat in your pile by providing a good mix of different materials, applying just enough moisture so that the pile doesn't dry out, and turning the pile frequently to allow air in. With proper care, a compost pile can maintain temperatures between 120 and 150 degrees for several weeks.

Solanine

• All above-ground parts of a potato plant contain a poisonous alkaloid called solanine. Potato vine fruit are particularly rich in solanine. Never eat them. Potato tubers that grow under the ground don't contain solanine unless they are exposed to the sun. Exposed potatoes that have green discoloration should be discarded.