Sweet potatoes are well know for the delicious and healthy tuber but their stems and leaves are also a nutritious and tasty green vegetable.
The sweet potato comes in a variety of colours including gold, purple and white. The tuber which develops underground and is high in a whole range of vitamins and minerals and because they are so high in fibre and antioxidants they are great for digestion, keeping regular and general gut health.
Sweet potatoes are especially high in beta carotene which converts to vitamin A in your body. This is great for your eyes and a healthy immune system. Cooking sweet potatoes in oil or fat makes the beta carotene more easily absorbed by the body.
Sweet potato greens
Sweet potato leaves and shoots provide a consistent source of high quality and tasty leafy greens throughout the year in sub-tropical climates. They are rich in vitamin B, beta-carotene, iron, calcium, zinc and protein.
The leaves and shoots can be used as a spinach substitute in cooked dishes and the tender young leaves work well in salads. Their heart shape also makes them an attractive decorative feature.
The leaves make healthy pickings for chickens too. Plant the vine along their run so they can benefit from the vitamins and minerals in the leaves. The peelings from the tuber are also good for them and they will enjoy these too.
Growing
It is easy to grow sweet potato by allowing it to shoot and then planting it. Leave a whole sweet potato on the bench until it shoots or cut off the end and place it on a dampened towel until it shoots. This can then be planted straight in the garden.
Alternatively take a cutting from the plant of about 15cm in length then either plant it directly in the soil, keeping it moist until it is established or place the cutting in a jar of water and then plant it out once roots start developing.
The vine is quite vigorous and should be planted where it can spread without swamping other plants. It works well as a living mulch as part of a food forest under fruits trees although it is important to be careful when harvesting the tubers around the roots of the trees. The tuber will form in 3-6 months but the leaves can be harvested anytime.
The sweet potato vine will ramble along the ground sending down roots from new growth which will eventually develop into sweet potato tubers. Cut back the vine regularly to increase tuber production and top up with mature compost. Often sweet potato vines will start sprouting in the compost pile from the pruned material but this can either be turned back in or given away to friends and family for them to start their own plants.
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