Plant a Complete Diet - Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are described as tubers. A tuber is the thick, round part of the underground root system of a plant. It stores food and it is from this part of the plant, new plants grow. Other tubers are Irish potatoes, ginger and yams.

It is said that there are hundreds of species of potatoes – red-skinned potatoes, purple, yellow, white and orange. The flesh of these potatoes also differs in colour and texture.

Age of Maturity

Usually 3-7 months.

Medium-term crop.

Classification

Species: Ipomoea batatas

Family: Convolvulaceae

Origin

Most historians agree that sweet potatoes originated from the Americas, but some experts say Asia.

Planting

In tropical climates it can grow practically all year round. It is best, however, to plant in 85 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

Prepare the soil 2–3 months ahead by adding a 3-inch layer of compost or manure.

Soil should be organic, crumbly and loose, for example, sandy loam and peat. Sweet potatoes hate clay soils and soils that become hard and compact.

Place the tuber in a container of water and after about a month, it will sprout from several places. Even without the water, they will spout. Gently break off the ‘slips’ which are the sprouted pieces, and then plant them in beds.

Plant 6 inches deep, 8–10 inches apart, in an elongated bed on the ground. Planting in a raised bed, however, prevents it from taking over the entire garden.

The easiest way for beginners is to bury the sweet potato tuber directly in the soil where you want it to grow. It will sprout and grow quite easily and profusely. This eliminates the need to transplant.

Mulch the bed with hay or straw.

Maintaining

Remove any weeds.

Trim the areas of the plant that begin to encroach on your garden. If in a raised bed, trim to prevent the plant from growing along the ground outside of the bed. Water regularly but do not allow the area to get water-logged. You have watered enough when you can gather a ball of soil in your hand and find that the soil is pliable and able to break apart. It should not be sticky.

Overwatering will produce waterlogged, cloggy soil. Ensure that the soil is well-drained, loose and fertile.

Fertilise initially, but not regularly. When the potatoes start to grow and root, they will produce their own food reserves.

It is common for caterpillars and grasshoppers to leave numerous holes in the leaves of your crop, but they rarely strip the entire plant. no need to be concerned, but if you prefer, use an organic insect spray pesticide.

Harvesting

Harvest when the leaves start turning yellow.

Wait for about 4 consecutive days of sunshine and then harvest. This would allow for easier cleaning, since the soil will more readily separate from the harvested potatoes.

Clear all of the foliage from the plant in order to make the potatoes more accessible. Do not throw the foliage away.

Use a garden fork to dig 18 inches away from the base of the plant so as not to cause damage to the tubers.

Avoid the potatoes by digging about 12 inches deep, because damaged tubers have a shortened shelf life.

Gently unearth the potatoes.

Put aside the speared, lightweight, spongy tubers. These are useful in the next planting.

You may lay harvested tubers in the sun for about half-day before storing, to seal any broken areas.

The same beds may be reused for 2–3 years.

Preparing the bed for another planting

The following tips are helpful when preparing for another planting, according to Mark Valencia of selfsufficientme.com:

The damaged tubers, which were set aside, may be chopped into pieces and replanted in the same bed – some will become new plants and others will decay and become nutrients for the next crop.

Cleared foliage can be placed on top of the bed from which you harvested. This will become compost.

Liberally spread organic fertiliser or chicken manure on the surface of the bed.

Top with compost and more soil, and finish with a layer of mulch like sugar cane trash or wood chips.

Leave for 2-3 months before planting again.

Quiz

In what family would you classify sweet potato?

a. Hibiscus b. Morning glory c. Rose

ANSWER: b