This long time gardener also pointed out that where the vines root no sweet potatoes form there.
Sweet potato vine root edible.
Sweet potato plants ipomoea batatas are vines of tropical origin that thrive in hot weather.
Although both edible and ornamental sweet potato vines grow from tubers the edible variety are easier to obtain.
The purple tuberous roots are edible but gardeners who have tried them say they re not tasty.
Sweet potato vines are available in a wide array of colors from almost black to chartreuse and there are several different leaf shapes from which to choose.
Buy any type of edible sweet potato and follow these steps.
Leave it in a warm sunny spot.
However the leafy green tops are edible too.
Once the stems reach a few inches long snip them off the tuber and place these cuttings in another jar of water.
Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species.
Like the edible varieties the ornamental sweet potato vine will produce tuberous roots.
Pierce the sweet potato.
Some gardeners try saving the tuberous roots overwinter much like dahlias.
The edible leaves and stem tips of sweet potato vines are well known in many parts of the world.
In the united states most gardeners grow sweet potatoes for the big sweet tubers.
Some varieties have been bred for colorful foliage and are sold as ornamental plants however their tubers have an off taste that makes them unpalatable as food.
Ornamental sweet potatoes are the same species as the edible kind but they have been selected for their interesting foliage not their tasty roots you ll need lots of brown sugar and butter to make them palatable.
If you ve never tried eating potato vine leaves you re missing out on a tasty highly nutritious veggie.
All varieties of the sweet potato produce edible tubers.
It will send out roots and stems within 2 weeks.
While store bought sweet potatoes are likely to be orange fleshed and sugary tasting the tubers of the decorative vine are generally white and don t taste very appealing.
They store them in a cool dark location.
Are sweet potato leaves edible.
Often considered a poor man s food sweet potato foliage has a rich protein content that helps supplement the nutritional value of the roots.