Apios americana
Also known as American groundnut, potato bean, hopniss, or cinnamon vine, this is a perennial vine that bears edible beans and edible tubers (although it flowers very late in the season and there’s not much chance of fruit when grown in the British Isles).
The tubers are mostly fairly small, from 3 to 5 cm, but some grow noticeably larger (they will also increase in size year by year). They are very good to eat with similar characteristics to potatoes, although the flavor Is nuttier. They contain roughly three times the protein content of potatoes.
In our experience this is a crop that is very easy to grow and is rarely troubled by pests. It will thrive in a sunny spot in most soil types and needs little in the way of fertiliser (like other leguminous plants it can fix its own nitrogen).
Plants don’t take up much space if given support to climb. The tubers can be harvested anytime but it’s easiest in autumn and winter when the plants have died down.
The tubers are mostly fairly small, from 3 to 5 cm, but some grow noticeably larger (they will also increase in size year by year). They are very good to eat with similar characteristics to potatoes, although the flavor Is nuttier. They contain roughly three times the protein content of potatoes.
In our experience this is a crop that is very easy to grow and is rarely troubled by pests. It will thrive in a sunny spot in most soil types and needs little in the way of fertiliser (like other leguminous plants it can fix its own nitrogen).
Plants don’t take up much space if given support to climb. The tubers can be harvested anytime but it’s easiest in autumn and winter when the plants have died down.
