Martian Potatoes

What are Martian Potatoes?

My name is Mark and I am a PhD student in Economics, but also a Botanist in that I experiment, test and cultivate nutrient dense Sweet Potatoes that could survive anywhere, even on Mars.

A few years back I landed in an almost uninhabitable place on this planet, at least for someone who wanted to grow their own food (or so I thought).

I actually do not live on Mars, but I might as well.

Although the soil and climate are markedly different than Mars, nevertheless, it is a challenge to grow anything, or at last what I was used to.

My Soil is:

  • Sandy
  • Salty
  • Super dry or super wet
  • Super hot
  • Low in nitrogen and other elements

What could I possibly grow in sandy devoid of nutrients?

I started to explore easy to grow food. After watching the movie The Martian, I thought, ‘why not potatoes?’. However, I found a tuber that was even better suited for harsh climates than potatoes. Those are Sweet Potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are a marvel of adaptation of and a distant cousin of the normal Potato. NASA is exploring both potatoes and sweet potatoes. However, Sweet Potatoes have a lower glycemic index and are arguably more nutrients dense. They also growing fewer requirements.

They even create phytonutrients that are protective against the suns radiation.

However, you do not have to be a space traveler or a Mars colonist to enjoy the benefits of Sweet Potatoes. They are a survival crop with taste and can be grown in your backyard. They will even relieve you of the toil of mowing your lawn as they work as a cover crop against weeds.

  • I have created a special variety of deep purple sweet potatoes (Non-GMO). These are cross-pollinations of the healthiest varieties and individual potatoes I could find including popular sweet potatoes like Charleston, African Violet, etc. They are 100% purple, both in skin and flesh.
  • I call Sweet Potatoes Martian Potatoes because of all the food you can grow these are perhaps the most resilient.

I sell Sweet Potato Slips. These are cuttings and roots that will grow into healthy Sweet Potato plants and ultimately yield sweet potatoes.