Solanum is a mysterious group of plants that include potatoes, tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplants and a whole lot of strange berries. Although this is a pretty big genus there are only a few of them that will grow in the local climate here. I have found growing some either inside for most of the year or at least inside the cold glasshouse I have is the only possible way.

They seem to like sun with heat and never too damp and cold. it’s very hard to grow the Australian native ones especially here as it’s just too damp and cold for a lot of the year. They just drop leaves and die at the slightest damp cold period. I have found growing them inside in a very bright dry space on a watering tray seems best and keeps them moving and the fungus and mould from affecting them.

Our growing season is too short for really big crops of Tomatoes and Tomatillos although this varies year to year and the placement in the garden.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum

The plants I’m growing:

Potatoes – Solanum tuberosum – We have a selection of about 20 varieties grown mainly in individual containers. These keep the varieties topped up and growing and then I focus on 1 or two that are grown in larger containers each year so that they can be eaten.

Favourites include Sapphire, Dutch Cream, Purple Congo, Kipfler, King Edward, pink fir, banana.

Tomatoes – Solanum lycopersicum – These are grown in the ground and I usually save the seed for the ones that keep coming back strong. We grow a lot of the small to tiny varieties due to their great taste and also they tend to grow faster and fruit more effectively with a short growing season that we often have here.

Favourites include the Thai pink, tiny tom, black russian, green zebra and the tiny riesentraube

Eggplants – Solanum melongena – several varieties but mainly small sizes

Eggplant Ethiopian – Solanum aethiopicum – given to me by someone who spotted it at a food market in Sydney – first year growing 2011

Tamarillos – Solanum betaceum – growing red and yellow varieties in cold glasshouse and both seem pretty happy

Pepino – Solanum muricatum – perennial but need to keep propagating by cutting as they tend to die quickly when stressed by cold

Wonder berry – Solanum retroflexum – fairly easy to grow and fruit

Golden fruit of the andes – Solanum quitoense – large fruit and crazy coloured leaves and plant yet to fruit – also known as naranjilla

Kangaroo apple – probably Solanum aviculare – struggling to survive

I would like to grow bush tomatoes but it’s too cold and damp here.

Also growing other plants in same Solanaceae family such as Cape Gooseberry – Physalis peruvians and  Tomatillos  – Physalis philadelphica – Solanum – see mexican flavours post – growing about 3 different varieties. Although a different Genus they are in the same solanum family and have very similar growing requirements. But limiting myself here in this post to the genus.

Tamarillo – Solanum betaceum

Golden fruit of the andes – Solanum quitoense – naranjilla

Wonder berry – Solanum retroflexum