The TomTato, an innovative hybrid, is a single plant that simultaneously produces tomatoes and potatoes. The plant was created by Thompson and Morgan, a horticulture company in the United Kingdom.
With the top of a cherry tomato plant and the bottom of a white potato plant, the TomTato has been grafted together at the stem.
According to GizMag, the TomTato is purchased as a grown plant and lasts for only one growing season. One plant can produce up to 4.4 pounds of potatoes and 500 tomatoes. The company says the plant’s fruits have a sugar content level higher than that of most supermarket tomatoes.
We’ve seen a number of innovations that allow for gardening in small spaces, including a ferris wheel-like contraption, a mat that shows you where to plant specially-prepared seeds, and a system that lets you grow vertically-stacked veggies in your window. The TomTato, however, is in a league of its own – it’s a single plant that produces both tomatoes and potatoes at the same time.
The TomTato is not the result of genetic engineering. It’s “simply” the top of a cherry tomato plant and the bottom of a white potato plant that has been grafted together at the stem.
While it’s been possible to create such hybrids for a long time, the taste of the resulting tomatoes has apparently left much to be desired. According to the company, however, the TomTato’s fruits have a Brix (sugar content) level higher than that of most supermarket tomatoes, along with “just the right level of acidity that only the tastiest tomatoes have.” The potatoes are said to be fine for boiling, mashing or roasting.Thompson and Morgan states that this marks the first time that grafted tomato/potato hybrids have been produced commercially. According to a BBC report, however, another such plant has just become available in New Zealand. It’s made by Incredible Edibles, and is known as the Potato Tom.
Brown County Extension Agent Scott Anderson stated that to his knowledge, this grafted plant is not yet available in the United States.
