I hadn't, until I came across this report in the Telegraph.
It sounds like something from a science fiction film, but a plant which produces both potatoes and tomatoes has been launched in the UK.
The ‘TomTato’ can grow more than 500 sweet cherry tomatoes above ground, while beneath the soil it produces white potatoes that are suitable for boiling, roasting or turning into chips.
Horticultural mail order company Thompson & Morgan, which is selling the plants for £14.99 each, described their new product as a “veg plot in a pot”.
The hybrid plants are not a product of genetic engineering, but are each individually hand-grafted. Like potatoes, tomatoes are members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which makes them compatible for grafting.
. . .
The plants can be grown either outside or inside, as long as they are in a large pot or bag. Thompson & Morgan refused to disclose which varieties of tomato and potato they had used, for fear of being imitated, but said that the cherry tomatoes were far sweeter than those available in supermarkets.
There's more at the link. Here's an advertising video from the producer describing the plant.
Sounds interesting. I can't help wondering what's coming next. If they can do this with two plants, why not with three or four? Why not with different varieties of fruits and vegetables? Will we end up with salad on a tree?
Peter
