Sweet potato
Sweet potato: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) belongs to the Convolvulaceae family, which includes morning glories. Despite its name and some shared culinary uses, it is distinct from the ordinary potato, a member of the Solanaceae family. The fleshy edible part of a sweet potato is a thickened storage root, whereas a potato tuber develops from a stem. This botanical distinction explains why the two vegetables are more than different versions of the same plant.Sweet potato is a frost sensitive perennial, usually grown as an annual crop in regions with cold winters. It develops long, flexible stems that trail or climb and carry abundant foliage. Leaves may be heart shaped or more deeply lobed, depending on the variety. The outline of the leaves alone therefore does not reveal the colour or culinary qualities of the roots developing below ground.The storage roots can be elongated, tapered or more rounded. Skin and flesh display…
