Tomatoes and potatoes are very important to a healthy diet. Tomatoes are in very yummy foods like pizza, lasagna and, of course tomato sauce. Potatoes can be fried, roasted, baked, mashed and more. Imagine if you could grow both of them on the same plant. Impossible? Not anymore!
Scientists have combined these two plants into one, called a TomTato. This plant produces cherry tomatoes on the vines and white potatoes on the roots. This is very important for developing countries so that they can grow more food on less land.
These two plants belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) family which allows them to be combined together. Other members of the Solanaceae family include eggplants, chili peppers and bell peppers, as well as poisonous plants like nightshade and mandrake, which aren’t just from Harry Potter. Watch out though, because all the plants in this family have poisonous leaves, so don’t eat them!
Make your own TomTato plant:
What you need:
- A healthy potato plant
- A healthy tomato plant
- Sharp knife
- Grafting Tape
- Clear plastic bag
Instructions:
- Get a potato plant and a tomato plant that are about the same size.
- Carefully cut a sliver of the stem from each plant and tie them together at the shaved parts, using grafting tape. Get an adult to help with the sharp knife.
- Let the stems ‘heal’ together until the tomato plant shows rapid growth (2-3 weeks).
- Cut away the top of the potato plant.
- Repeat step 3.
- Cut away the bottom of the tomato plant.
- Put the clear plastic bag over the plant for a few days to keep the air around it humid.
- Remove the plastic bag and grafting tape.
- There you have it! Now just wait for harvest. The tomatoes will grow first. After they have been collected, the flowers will fall off. This means the potatoes are ready to be dug up.
Do you want to know more about the TomTato or just continue to feed your curiosity? Get yourself a Supernova magazine and keep your love for reading alive.
