What parts of a vegetable plant are poisonous?

Kalak · Mon Aug 17, 2015 4:52 pm

I'm very new to gardening and I'm wondering if some parts of a vegetable/fruit plant are poisonous. So far all I know is about rhubarb (not to eat the leaves). Also green potatoes and cherry pips. Anything else? I'm paranoid...

Peter1142 · Mon Aug 17, 2015 5:00 pm

All green parts (I.e. leaves) of nightshade plants are poisonous - tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants - but not extremely so, only mildly. Nothing to worry about, just don't eat them. The deer eat my tomatoes all the time with seemingly no ill effects.

Kalak · Mon Aug 17, 2015 5:57 pm

Hi -- I know I'm showing my ignorance here -- but can you compost the leaves?

lexusnexus · Mon Aug 17, 2015 8:09 pm

Of course you can. Don't throw in the fruits as the seeds survive the heat generated in the compost heat.

rainbowgardener · Mon Aug 17, 2015 8:19 pm

But that just means where you use your compost, it will sprout volunteer tomato plants. Not a big deal.

I can't think of any other garden veggies that have toxic parts.

Relax and enjoy your garden!

n8young · Tue Aug 18, 2015 10:08 am

There's a part on the flowering branches of tomato plants, where the plant fruits, that is poisonous. It will turn red and juicy when it ripens....do not be fooled, please pick them all about 2 days before peak ripeness, and mail them all to me, I will dispose of them properly.

rainbowgardener · Tue Aug 18, 2015 12:07 pm

imafan26 · Tue Aug 18, 2015 12:16 pm

There are a few other vegetable plants with parts that are not intended to be eaten without proper processing or at all. Jicama (only roots are edible, leaves and pods are toxic) Hyacinth bean aka lablab, the pods need to be cooked. Same with taro they have oxalic acid which will make your mouth itchy if it is not cooked very well. Castor bean, comfry ( dose dependent), cashews, and rhubarb.

ElizabethB · Tue Aug 18, 2015 1:13 pm

Most plants have some parts that are toxic. The level of toxicity is usually low. Eat the parts of the vegetables intended for a food source and leave the rest alone. Yes you can compost the rest of the plant.

Good luck

Kalak · Tue Aug 18, 2015 3:33 pm

n8young wrote:There's a part on the flowering branches of tomato plants, where the plant fruits, that is poisonous. It will turn red and juicy when it ripens....do not be fooled, please pick them all about 2 days before peak ripeness, and mail them all to me, I will dispose of them properly.

Oh -- thank you so much! I just rushed out -- ripped all those parts off the plant and threw them in the trash.

Kalak · Tue Aug 18, 2015 4:11 pm

imafan26 wrote:There are a few other vegetable plants with parts that are not intended to be eaten without proper processing or at all. Jicama (only roots are edible, leaves and pods are toxic) Hyacinth bean aka lablab, the pods need to be cooked. Same with taro they have oxalic acid which will make your mouth itchy if it is not cooked very well. Castor bean, comfry ( dose dependent), cashews, and rhubarb.

I've been using liquid comfry as a fertiliser -- does anyone here use it? I'm putting it on everything. Not sure if that's such a great idea... Was going to grow some for next year.

Gardens are minefields to the unwary, haha.