Potatoes are 80% water, and require a reasonable amount of it for growth. They are planted using seed potatoes, which are grown specifically for reproduction. Each seed potato has 1 to two 2 eyes.

Leaves grow above ground and roots underground. As the potato grows, starch is transferred to the ends of the underground stems.

The roots absorb nutrients and the leaves absorb sunlight, which converts to energy for growth.

The “eye” of a potato forms the bud of new shoots.

Store potatoes in a cool, dark and dry location to avoid this shoot growth  in harvested potatoes. If your potatoes sprout, be sure to cut these shoots before eating.

Nightshades contain a bitter toxin called solanine, but it’s only in the leaves and stems, not in the roots and tubers.

That’s why the tasty-looking stems and leaves of the potato are discarded after harvest. As mentioned above, sprouts from the eyes of a harvested potato are also poisonous.

The culprit is a glycoalkaloid, a member of a family of poisons commonly found in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The particular glycoalkaloid, solanine, is also found in the leaves of tomatoes. It’s purpose is as a natural defense mechanism to protect the plant from predators.