Black nightshade variants

[applestar]

I have a weedy corner that I just let go this summer and a HUGE Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum) grew, climbing through and over the Blackberry brambles and Swamp Azalea shrub Seeing the numerous black berries starting to develop, I began the tedious job of cutting and pulling the plants before ALL the berries fell to the ground to spread their seeds.

At the same time, I was rambling around different websites thinking about next year's garden, and on one website, in the tomato/tomatillo section, I came across verbal description of that sounded exactly like Black Nightshade. I skipped over it right away, thinking I'll never be able to tell them apart but it was called "[url=https://www.southernexposure.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=WONDERBERRYT]Wonderberry (Sunberry)[/url]" at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Then I started to wonder about it, and looked around and came across this rather interesting article:
https://www.liseed.org/solanunusual.html
Also this:
https://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Solanum+scabrum

MY weed is most certainly S. nigrum though I haven't tasted it Now I have to go find out if it's safe to compost the the foliage. I WAS going to clear out the blackberries in this area and plant tomatoes next year. Now, I wonder if that's a bad idea since the nightshade had been growing here this year.

[rainbowgardener]

There's been some discussion (I didn't try to find the thread) about whether tomato leaves are OK in the compost pile or could they be toxic to earthworms. I think the consensus is they are fine in the compost pile (and probably for vermicomposting as well). Compost piles are very good for processing and breaking down lots of toxins. I think the same would apply to your nightshades, which are in the same family as tomatoes.

As far as planting, I know you generally don't want to plant tomatoes in the same bed year after year, re propagating soil diseases and other pests. I expect your nightshades being closer to their natural "weed" state and less hybridized are less susceptible to diseases. If you can't see any sign of disease or pest, then I wouldn't worry about planting tomatoes there next year. Of course, I'm not a big worrier, other gardeners are fussier about things and might give a different answer.

[applestar]

Oh, these nightshades are QUITE healthy, alright....
Thanks for your input.

[NatGreeneVeg]

Solanium Nigrum The genus Solanum comprises more than 1,700 species, many of them toxic.

There is an excellent article on this, link below.

"...Duchon, an anthropologist at Georgia State University in Atlanta, stumbled across the Hmong penchant for a "dangerous" plant while gathering edible and medicinal herbs with a Hmong friend.

"I was picking pokeweed and she ignored it. I picked lamb's-quarters and she ignored it," Duchon recalls. "Then we came to black nightshade and I ignored it and she said, 'Oh, zhoa-ia!' and started picking it like crazy."

Article: [url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Food,+drug,+or+poison%3F-a013787076]Food, drug, or poison?[/url]

[Monarda]

Did any Solanum nigrum pop up this year, applestar?
I had quite a few come up in my new garden space this year. The leaves looked so much like my Purple Tomatillo seedlings that I was (briefly) convinced that my tomatillos had gotten up and walked to a sunnier spot.

Once I realized what it was, I had grand dreams of Black Nightshade sauces and jams, but between me snacking while I worked and the chickens gobbling berries before they even ripened fully, there wasn't enough for even a pint of jam.

The greens are supposed to be good as a pot herb, but they're always so bug-eaten around here that there's more hole than leaf!

[applestar]

A few have popped up here and there, but none as big as last year's plant.
The New Tomato Bed (a.k.a. Jungle) was a complete success. Something about this site really agrees with them:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28176