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QUESTION: Hi, I picked up some sweet potato slips at a roadside stand in Virginia and they turned out to be wonderful. The only problem being I have no idea of what variety they are.I had come across another post where you had identified the variety via the vine and I was hoping you could identify from the leaf (front/back) in the attached image. Thanks
ANSWER: Jason,
In doing a bit of research I found a similar plant. It was an ornamental sweet potato vine called Blackie. All the ornamental vines do grow edible sweet potatoes but some taste better than others. To insure you can grow the same ones next year I recommend that you take cuttings and put them in a hanging basket to treat them like a houseplant all winter. They will grow well in a sunny window and you can take your own slips to grow next spring. Good luck!
Darlene
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'blackie" vine leaf
QUESTION: Thanks...I also have done some research, and while the 'Blackie' is a good match in shape...but in shape only. The blackie leaves are stated to have dark purple/maroon, almost blackish color leaves...while my leaves are all very green, with no hint of dark purple/black. Thanks for trying.
AnswerJason,
Sorry, in the pictures I received from you the leaves appeared to be dark burgundy colored. There is another variety that is light green, Ipomoea batatas 'Chartreuse' (Chartreuse) and another is called Ipomoea batatas 'Hernandez' and is a variety commonly grown in North Carolina.
As I said earlier to insure you get the same plants next year I recommend that you take cuttings from this years vines and put them in a hanging basket to treat them like a houseplant all winter. They will grow well in a sunny window and you can take your own slips to grow next spring. If the vines are already gone and you still have a sweet potato you can grow vines from that sweet potato. This website will show you how: http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-plant-and-grow-sweet-potatoes/index.html
Good luck!
Darlene
