Hi,
This is my first year of growing sweet potatoes. I keep reading to grow them like potatoes. Now, do I hill soil up and around the vine like potatoe plants? I have never seen them grown and sounds like they are to spread like winter squash vines! Cannot find the answer to this. Just not picturing it in my mind. Thanks!
. A sweet potato does not grow like an Irish potato. It grows like a morning glory. One plants the slips, (small potato vines) after the weather warms up (after the last possible frost date). If you have anything but sandy soil, pull up a raised (2 -4 inches above ground level) list or hill. Plants the slips 12-16 inches apart. Bury most of the plant just like a tomato plant. As the plant grows, broaden and deepen the hill or lists. The "bush" types will send out 3-5 foot runners and the true vines types will go 12 ft or more so allow plenty of room. Sweet potatoes are tender perenials so they keep growing until killed by frost. They must be dug before frost kills the vines. Just lift the entire hill with a spading fork,
Good luck.
I plant mine on a raised row, about 12 inches tall and flat on the top, 4 to
6 inches wide. That way I can lay a soaker hose on top and plant the slips beside it. You don't have to over water it, just regularly.Dig them before the first frost. If the plant gets frosted, it will make the potatoes bitter. If you are going to have a frost too early for you to dig them first, cut off the plants down to the ground the night before the frost.
Then you have to cure them before storage. This requires laying them out in a room that has 80 degrees F and 80 to 90 percent humidity for 7 to 10 days. If you cant provide those conditions, do the best you can, but leave them for an extra week or two This allows the starch to turn into sugar. Don't store them anywhere they will be colder than 55 degrees F. This is supposed to cause them to change back to starch, and this time it cant be reversed.
Have fun and if you need to you can contact me directly.
Dwayne
Ahh, Ok. So far so good then. I have them in raised rows about 6 inches high, 18 inches or so apart. Plenty of room to spread all they want. Thanks for the info!
You are welcome. I put mine in tomorrow.
Dwayne
Hi gho,
want.
Stolon of sweet potato will root at the point it contact with soil, and develop to small sweet potato. If we pull those stolon up to prevent it rooting, we will get a *very* big(and the only one per plant) below the main stem.
Year 1979, I get a three foot long sweet potato using this way.
For sweet potato, it's very important that the soil must be crumbly and contain a lot of potassium. Wood ash do work perfect for me.
Regards, Wong
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