This favorite American veggie is a sort of Morning Glory , botanically Ipomoea Batatas , but in the United States , it rarely create flowers . Its wild primogenitor is a native of tropic America , which accounts for the fact that the Sweet Potato is a crop that thrives proficient where summer are affectionate and comparatively long . Sweet Potatoes may be cultivated without difficulty in southerly New Jersey and southwards , and home garden crops can be bring about on Long Island , New York , and even further Union , provided they are plant in shelter locations and in light , well - run out soils .
Certain multifariousness of Sweet Potato , peculiarly the moist - fleshed ones , are often called Yams , but there is no rigorous understanding as to which varieties are properly so call . The use of the parole Yam for miscellanea of Sweet Potato is confusing because a completely different plant , Dioscorea , is correctly known by this name .
Unlike the mutual Solanum tuberosum , or Irish potato , which is often shout sweet potato , it is not propagated by planting tubers or pieces of tubers . Instead , rooted sprout ( young shoots ) are taken from tubers get down in hotbeds and are planted in the garden after both grunge and weather are really warm . These sprouts or “ draws ” are produce commercially in vast quantities by specialists and , because in their former stages , they are tricky to handle , the place gardener is judicious to buy the draws he needs for institute rather than to attempt to put up his own .
Soil and Cultivation
Sweet Potatoes thrive best in very sandlike soils ; they are unsuitable for planting in clay soil or in mucks . In homework for planting , the stain should be plowed or spade , and if fertilizer is take , the app of one low in atomic number 7 should be made . Excessive nitrogen answer in vigorous vine growth at the expense of tuber ontogenesis . Because of this , it is often look at better not to fertilise at all before planting Sweet Potatoes but to set them in land that was well fertilise for a previous harvest .
Planting and Varieties
Planting should not be done too betimes . In southerly New Jersey , the last hebdomad in June is time enough ; further to the south , earlier dates are appropriate , such as the first week in March in Louisiana and early April in southern California . In the South , Sweet Potatoes should be set in rows 4 - 5 ft . apart with distance of 20 - 24 in . countenance between plants in the row . In the North they may be set substantially nearer , a spacing of 2 1/2 foot . between the rows and 15 in . between the plant in the rows being sufficient . The plant may be imbed on the flat or the land may be hill up to form ridgepole and the plants set in these .
The siccative - flesh varieties worthy for northern gardens are Yellow Jersey and Big - prow Jersey , among the best ; for southern gardens , the moist - fleshed variety are favour . These let in Nancy Hall , Porto Rico , Pumpkin , and Yellow Belmont .
Cultivation and Harvesting
Once Sweet Potatoes are planted they need little aid . In their early stage frequent shallow surface refinement to destroy weeds and promote growth is necessary , but once the vine extend the ground this can no longer be done . It is advisable to move the vine occasionally during their early growth to prevent them from rootle into the ground .
harvest home should be done at the ending of the growing season or as soon as the vines are meet by frost . At the first indication of Robert Frost harm , now thin off all the vines to foreclose the Tuber from being spoiled by juice that run back from the frost - kill vines , and then proceed to dig the tubers . A branching is a worthy tool to expend for this workplace . corking tutelage must be take not to damage the potatoes when dig out or during subsequent treatment . Cuts and bruise not only mar the show of the tubers but encourage the development of decomposition cause by fungus .
After they are reverse , the potato are left on the ground open until they are ironic , which , on a bright day , will not take more than an hour or two , then they are sort out and carefully target in bushel field goal or boxes .
Storage
Sweet Potatoes are not an easy harvest to lay in . To check good results the harvest must be thoroughly mature at the time of turn over and must be handled in such a mode that the tubers are not cut or bruised . In addition the tubers must be well “ bring around ’ soon after digging and must then be put in in a uniform temperature of 45 - 55 degrees .
Curing is effectuate by continue the tubers in a temperature of 80 - 90 degrees ( normally maintained by the habit of hokey heat ) in a well - ventilated memory board house . The length of time required to complete hardening depends upon the miscellanea and upon weather conditions . Experienced persons can guess by the “ spirit ” of the potato when the curing summons is complete . The inexperienced may be draw by the appearing of young shoots on the tubers in the warmer part of the computer storage lieu ; when these are see , the temperature should be lowered step by step to 50 - 55 degrees .
Where only a few bushels of Sweet Potatoes are to be stored , they may be placed in bushel baskets or crate , bring around near the cellar furnace , and then kept in a teetotal place where the temperature stay fairly constant , 45 - 60 degree .
As House Plants
Sweet Potatoes makeattractive and interesting firm industrial plant . The usual method is to incur a mature tuber ( one that has not been heat - do by before market to the extent that it will not bourgeon ) and lodge three toothpicks or similar splinter of wood in a roofy around its sides in such a path that they protrude at correct slant . The genus Tuber is then lower into a glass jar or other container of water supply ( it is well to bring a few pieces of charcoal to the pee ) until the toothpicks take a breather on the brim of the container and support the Sweet Potato . The water should be keep so that it always extend to the bottom of the tuber . It is advisable to change the water occasionally .
If the jar and Sweet Potato are kept in a sunny window in a warm room , green , leafy , vinelike shoot will soon develop from the tuber . These may be prepare to stakes , cosmic string or wires or the jounce may be suspend and the shoot allowed to trail downward . alike outcome may be had by planting a Sweet Potato genus Tuber in a stool of soil and keeping the stain moist .
