Surprise! Look What’s Hidden In The Dirt!

Remember this picture of my ornamental sweet potato vine gone wild this summer?  This truly has become one of my favorite plants to add to a mixed container.  I love the lime green color and the fast-growing, healthy vine that cascades down and around the container.  However, I had no idea what was happening in the dirt in this pot!

This past Saturday I was deep into the normal fall chores of pulling my worn out annuals from all the deck containers.  The previous frosts had already taken care of the beautiful green vines but when I began to pull out the roots from the dirt look at the surprise I found!

I couldn’t believe this thing was growing in my beautiful pot!  Isn’t it ugly?  I guess the vines hadn’t done so well in previous years because I have never seen anything like this before.

After a bit of research this morning I learned that some people eat this sweet potato tuber.  Don’t worry, not me!  And I’m not going to serve it in a sweet potato casserole on Thanksgiving either!

However, I am going to let it dry out a bit in the sun today and bring it inside to overwinter in the garage.  Hopefully, it will grow again next summer in another planter.  Doesn’t hurt to try something new.