Sweet Potato the Super Food
Last year I utilized the new Treasure Island Sweet Potato vines in my patio containers and this gardener found a new appreciation for these tuberous vegetables. And I’m ready to celebrate this superfood with my fellow gardeners. This root vegetable has seen an increase in popularity, especially compared to ‘regular’ potatoes, due in part to being a healthier option. Sweet Potatoes are lower in carbs, higher antioxidant levels like lutein, have increased levels of vitamins, a lower glycaemic index which means less blood sugar spikes, and are a great source of fiber, iron, and calcium.
The best part? They are easy to grow!
A New Day Dawns for Sweet Potatoes
Generally, these potatoes fall into two garden uses;
- Annual, ornamental trailing vine where home gardeners utilize them as a container ‘spiller’. This type does not produce any edible tubers.
- Traditional in the vegetable garden, to harvest and cook the edible tubers.
But, for this gardener, this typical scenario recently changed when I was introduced to the Treasure Island Sweet Potato line. They are a breeding breakthrough as the first edible AND ornamental sweet potatoes on the market. It’s like a two-for-one deal; the uniquely shaped, colorful leaves look great in mixed containers and taste great in salads and smoothies and then the different colored sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and make a perfect addition to healthy meals.
Named after Polynesian Islands, there are 5 selections and none of them are what you’d consider typical:
- ‘Tahiti’ PPAF – purple-fleshed roots with purple skin and green, deeply lobed leaves
- ‘Tatakoto’ PPAF – purple skin and orange flesh and dark green-purple, lobed leaves
- ‘Makatea’ PPAF – orange skin with white flesh and right, chartreuse, heart-shaped leaves
- ‘Kaukura’ PPAF – orange skin and orange flesh roots with purple, heart-shaped leaves
- ‘Manihi’ PPAF – orange skin and orange roots with deep purple, maple leaf foliage
* PPAF stands for Plant Patent Applied For.
Let’s Get Growing
Living in a condo, I grew my Treasure Island Sweet Potatoes in mixed containers.
Both Tahiti and Manihi varieties are featured in deck boxes with Callie Pink Morn Calibrachoa.
Kaukura variety and Disco Diva Hollywood Hardy Hibiscus were grown together to highlight the maroon flower centers matching the purple heart-shaped foliage.
Makatea variety was grown with Begonias and Cordyline to brightened a less sunny spot on the deck.
The Manhini variety produces the greatest number of flowers. They bloomed a light whitish-purple with a purple center.
Here are a few final growing tips from the breeders:
- Soil is key. Growing in containers may cause shape variability in the roots but they are still delicious! The best-shaped roots will come from plantings in the ground. Potted plants will form the best roots in heavy garden soil.
- Normal practice is to plant sweet potato about 1 foot apart in a row and rows 3 feet apart. Remember to plant deeper so fresh nodes are in the soil to form the best-shaped roots.
Learn more:
My fellow garden communicator Brie Arthur of Brie Grows, produced her plants in the ground. Read her blog post to find out her experience in growing the Treasure Island Sweet Potatoes as a groundcover and her experience in cooking with them.
National Garden Bureau’s recent post on making Sweet Potato Skins using Treasure Island Sweet Potatoes Tatakoto and Tahiti.
Finally, Let’s Get Cooking
I received a fresh batch of the sweet potatoes to trial in the kitchen from the breeder. I literally spent one-weekend researching recipes and the next one cooking and baking like crazy; it was FUN. I morphed into the #HomeCookinTheLand and the #HomeBakerinTheLand.
Here are a few of the Recipes I decided to try:
The first recipe was Mexican Chicken, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Skillet (GF) and I utilized Manihi. This was appealing because it is a 1 pot dish. This recipe taught me how to par-boil the sweet potatoes in the microwave.
I’ve been a Sweet Potato Fries (GF) lover for years but I’d never made my own before. This recipe from the Barefoot Contessa was so easy and I’ve already gotten multiple requests to duplicate from my family! I utilized Kaukura and served them alongside grilled chicken tenders over lettuce. Tip; try dipping sweet potato fries in honey. Trust me on this, just trust me.
When I came across Whiskey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes from Guy Fieri of Food Network, I was like yes, I must try! I used a mix of Manihi and Kaukura and Gala apples.
Additional recipes I tried were Bacon-Guacamole Bites on Sweet Potato Chips (GF) made with Kaukura and Tatakoto from The Wellness Mama cookbook; a Chocolate Mousse Pie (GF, DF) made with Manihi from the Bakerita cookbook; and Sweet Potato, Blue Cheese and Spinach Frittata made with Makatea from The Complete Low-FODMAP Diet book.
Written By: Maria Zampini
Author of: Garden-pedia: An A to Z Guide to Gardening Terms
“This post is provided as an educational/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau and our members. Please credit and link to National Garden Bureau and author member when using all or parts of this article.”
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5 Comments. Leave new
Gurney’s and Burpee are two places that are carrying the potted plants.
https://www.burpee.com/vegetables/sweet-potatoes/ipomoea-batatas-treasure-island-manihi–prod500846.html
There are three “Buy Now” options at the bottom of that New Variety page: https://ngb.org/new/plant-details/?Variety_ID=557
Where do we get those seeds ?
This is a fascinating article. I love the vines in my containers but being able to harvest as well is a bonus! Where can one purchase these slips to grow…varieties are listed but I didn’t find sources? That would have been helpful.