The SideshowTomTato combines two plants in one
It sounds like something out of a futuristic film: the TomTato.
Developed by horticulturists in the U.K., the plant is a gardening oddity that produces cherry tomatoes on its vines and potatoes underground.
Two vegetables on one plant at the same time! It's the Frankenstein of plants. The Frankenplant?
The two plants are grafted together, and are offered in the U.K. by the Thompson & Morgan company.
The less catchy-sounding Potato Tom is also available in New Zealand.
An infomercial-style video shows a successful example bursting with juicy tomatoes and spuds. According to the BBC, this is not the first time a plant of this type has been developed, but “taste had previously been a problem.”
“In the past we've never had any faith in the plants - they've not been very good ― but grafting has come on leaps and bounds in recent years,” Guy Barter of the Royal Horticultural Society told the BBC.
The proof may be in the tomato ― and potato ― dish. But Thompson & Morgan director Paul Hansord said that this dynamic duo of gardening was 10 years in the making is now ready for prime time. In the video, the plant is promised to bear tomatoes that are “sugary yet tangy” and yield “delicious white potatoes.”
The tomatoes and potatoes ripen at the same time, according to CBS. But the TomTato, which can be planted in a plot or a pot, lasts only one season.
