Sweet potatoes sprouted in my potato pot - is that kilayim?
Question
I had a pot with sweet potatoes and wanted to plant potatoes there instead. So, I thought that I cleaned all the sweet potato remnants, but lo and behold! This was the result. Are they kilei zera'im? What should I do now? Will I be permitted to eat the potatoes and sweet potatoes?
Answer
This is a classic case of kilei zera'im. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are two halachically distinct species, despite their deceivingly similar names in English.
Even scientifically speaking, they are from completely different families: potatoes are nightshades while sweet potatoes are from the morning glory family (potato: Solanum tuberosum, from the Solanaceae family; sweet potato: Ipomoea batatas, from the Convolvulaceae family, thus the Hebrew name batata).
Bottom line: Uproot one and transplant the other elsewhere. Both plants may be eaten.
If more sweet potatoes sprout up near your potatoes later on (after having uprooting them), uproot them when you notice them growing.