TomTato - the veg plot in a pot- is this the answer for small gardens?
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Perhaps a sign of things to come , a plant producing both potatoes and tomatoes is now available to order for home gardeners.
Up to 500 cherry tomatoes can be picked from the one plant, whilst harvesting a crop of versatile white potatoes from below.
The concept has been fifteen years in development, based on the natural compatibility of tomatoes and potatoes, as members of the solanaceae family, but Thompson and Morgan, the horticultural mail order firm, have now produced the first commercially viable TomTato. The tomato and potato stems are hand-grafted together, a highly skilled operation, to create the double cropping feature.
Costing £14.99 each, the new plants are expected to be popular, particularly as they are apparently easy to grow and suitable for cultivation anywhere inside or out, from a patio pot to an allotment.
“When I first saw this plant I was amazed,” said Paul Hansord, T&M’s horticultural director.”Potatoes and tomatoes on the same plant? You really have to grow TomTato to believe it.”