Yams vs Sweet Potatoes, Root Nodules and Fungal Diseases
From roots to leaves to flowers! C.L. and Ellen talk about the difference between yams and sweet potatoes, explain what a root nodule is, and discuss leaf-spot fungus, especially on house plants. The episode ends with a listener question about flowers for a Florida garden.
:30 What’s for dinner: Yams Vs Sweet Potatoes
2:52 Insider Information: What are root nodules
4:31 Eat/Drink/Grow: Fungal Leaf Diseases
18:04 Love Letters and Questions: Chris asks about flowers for a Florida garden.

In the supermarket, the top potato was labeled a “garnet yam” while the bottom was called a sweet potato. The sign below both root crops read “Sweet potato/yams.” In truth, both are sweet potatoes.

This canna is indoors and has holes made by a leaf-spot fungus. The fungi started on this leaf and grew while the plant was outdoors in the summer.

Lantana is a heat-loving plant that is often used as an annual in the north, but is grown as a woody shrub in tropical areas. It is one of the flowers that Ellen and C.L. recommended for a listener who is helping with his grandmother’s Florida garden.