Sweet Potatoes
Ipomoea batatas
The sweet potato is a warm-season, spreading vegetable of tropical origin. It is a good choice for a garden because it is easy to grow, is drought/heat-tolerant, and has few pests or diseases. The sweet potato is also very nutritious and low in calories. They belong to the morning glory family, unlike regular potatoes which are nightshades.
How to Grow Sweet Potatoes
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Growing from Seed
Sweet potatoes are grown from slips, not from seed. Plant the slips 12 to 18 inches apart in the bed. Plant the slips deep enough to cover the roots and about ½ inch of the stem. Water generously for a few days to make sure that the plants root well.
Planting Considerations
Sweet potatoes are grown from slips, which are sprouts that are grown from stored sweet potatoes. You can buy slips from garden centers, nurseries, or local farmers. You can also grow your own slips to plant in the spring. In November (this is when the best of the new harvest will be out), go to your supermarket and look for unblemished and uncracked medium sweet potatoes. One potato should yield about 12 plants.
Feeding
Sweet Potatoes like high phosphorus fertilizers.
Harvesting
You can start digging up the potatoes as soon as they are big enough for a meal. Often, this is three to four months from when you planted the slips. The leaves should have started to yellow, but you can leave them in the ground up until the fall frost. Since the roots spread 4 to 6 inches deep in the soil, a spade fork is useful when digging up the potatoes.
Storage
After digging up the potatoes, shake off any excess dirt but no not wash the roots. If you want to store sweet potatoes for an extended period of time, you must cure them. Curing the potatoes allows a second skin to form over scratches and bruises that occur when digging up the potatoes. To cure, keep the roots in a warm place (about 80°F) at high humidity (about 90%) for 10 to 14 days. For best curing, make sure that the potatoes are not touching one another. Store the sweet potatoes in a root cellar or other place with a temperature of at least 55°F. The ideal temperature range is 55° to 60°F.
