No Small Potatoes

Most people think potatoes only come in either a 5 pound or 10 pound bag. At Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatchee Groves, they come by the ton. Actually, more than a ton -- 2,276 pounds to date.

But you can put away the butter, chives and sour cream -- no one is going to be eating these members of the yam family. Technically known as dioscorea bulbifera, and commonly known as “air potatoes,” these aren’t your ordinary spuds. The bitter and even potentially poisonous plants are just one of a number of invasive plant species that Sunsport Gardens is spearheading the effort to eradicate from Florida soil.

Working in league with the Florida State Forestry Department, Sunsport began a 6-month contest in October 2006 that so far has resulted in more than 2,000 pounds of air potatoes getting tossed into the dumpster. All of the Sunsport residents have worked hard during the project, being rewarded with one raffle ticket for each pound of potatoes collected. When the contest ends in late April, tickets will be used to award prizes to all participants.

One resident, Eugene Kadar, has more than 1,000 tickets so far. And counting. “You can see them up in the trees. They are on a vine, growing in the air,” says Kadar. “Once the vine dries in the late spring, the air potato drops to the ground, rolls around and sprouts. You have to get them before that happens or else you’ll have sprouts everywhere.” The vines can grow to lengths as much as 60 or 70 feet, and according to Kadar, become prolific producers of the invasive air potatoes.

While the contest is the showcase of the invasive species removal effort, it’s only a fraction of what Sunsport is doing overall with an eye on conservation. They don’t get rewarded with raffle tickets, but each day, a contracted force of workers is busy removing other invasive plant species from the resort as well. Gone are most of the Brazilian peppertree plants. Gone are most of the lygodium. Gone are over a ton of air potatoes. With so much vegetation cleared, Sunsport was able to build a second Nature Trail, this one handicap accessible.

For additional information on how to help in the effort to remove the invasive plants, call Sunsport Gardens at (800) 551-7217, or (561) 793-0423, or visit their website at www.sunsportgardens.com.