A sweet potato that is both delicious and decorative? That’s what the new Treasure Island series of edible sweet potatoes promises gardeners this year. And not only is it a promise from the potatoes and their breeders themselves, but it’s also a promise from the folks at the Direct Gardening Association (DGA), a nonprofit association of companies that sells garden products. The DGA annually awards garden products with its Green Thumb Awards, and Treasure Island was one of the 2020 recipients.

Delicious and Decorative

You know it’s a blessing (and sometimes a miracle) when what you grow in your vegetable garden or on your patio is not only edible but ornamental, as well. Ipomoea, or sweet potato vine, has been a popular foliage accent plant for containers and window boxes for years now. Through some great breeding efforts by the Louisiana State University AgCenter, the Treasure Island series combines the best of that ornamental sweet potato and the best of the edible sweet potato. The varieties have gorgeous cascading vines in colors ranging from dark purple to light green. The tubers are also colorful in beautiful shades of orange, red and purple. And they are tasty! A few of the varieties even have leaves that you can harvest. Unlike other ornamental sweet potatoes, Treasure Island harvests are on par with the harvest of the edible kind.

Sweet Potatoes Are Healthy, Too

Sweet potatoes as an edible crop have seen a resurgence in the grocery stores lately. I never knew how many kinds were available until I noticed the rainbow of offerings in my local Whole Foods. The reason for the popularity? They are way healthier than regular white potatoes, so they’ve been replacing that starch on the family’s dinner plates. They are brimming with Vitamin B and C and are high in fiber, iron, calcium and antioxidants. And remember I mentioned that some of Treasure Island’s leaves are edible. Add them to salads, smoothies and stir fries for a dose of Vitamin B, beta carotene, iron, calcium, zinc and protein.

Why the Name?

So, if these sweet potatoes are bred by a Louisiana ag program, why the “Treasure Island” name? Well, because each of the five varieties named after Polynesian Islands reveals a colorful “treasure” underneath the soil when they are harvested. Ah ha! Love that! You, too, can harvest a treasure trove of sweet potatoes this fall after a summer’s worth of beautiful foliage. Just contact springhillnursery.com to order your sweet potato slips for spring planting.

Oh, and about those Green Thumb Awards. They are chosen by garden writers who judge on uniqueness, technological innovation, ability to solve a garden problem and their appeal to gardeners. Stay tuned for a few other 2020 Green Thumb Award descriptions in the coming weeks.