Sweet Potato Plant Profile

Sweet Potato Plant Profile

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an edible member of the morning glory family. There are hundreds of kinds of sweet potatoes with a variety of skin and flesh colors including yellow, white, orange, red, and purple.

They are native to the northwestern part of South America and are hardy in Zones 10-11.

Many people grow them just for their fleshy roots, but the ornamental heart-shaped leaves are also edible. The foliage is full of antioxidants and tastes like baby spinach.

To grow sweet potatoes you will need warm nights and days -- above 72 degrees -- for about four to five months. However, many varieties such as Beauregard have been developed to mature faster.

Sweet potatoes grow from sprouts called slips. Slips can be purchased from catalogs or they can be encouraged to grow from sweet potatoes. Cut the tips off a sweet potato and suspend it above a jar filled with water, anchoring it with toothpicks.

When all chances of a frost has passed, plant the rooted sprouts in the garden or in a large container filled with well-draining soil.

Fertilize sparingly if at all.

Water sparingly; they are drought-resistant and will rot if the soil is too moist.

Sweet potatoes are ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow in the fall – be sure to dig them before they are touched by a frost.

They can be eaten immediately, but the flavors intensify when they are cured. Curing is also necessary if you want to store them over the winter. To cure sweet potatoes, spread them out on newspapers in a humid spot out of the direct sun and where temperatures stay around 80 degrees. After a week of curing, place them in a humid, well-ventilated area where temperatures stay around 55 degrees.

Sweet Potato: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Jackson Wantman

 

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