Sweet Potatoes

caascher2 · February 4, 2007

I ordered some sweet potato slips from Sand Hill. I haven't planted sweet potatoes before, but am excited to try them out. Has any one grown them who could offer some tips. I have an area by my back fence where I am going to plant them. Any hints on preparing the soil? Should I use a raised bed? Doing online research they look fairly easy and seem less finicky than regular potatoes. I am also planting regular and fingerling potatoes but am using the container method for planting them. This forum has been very helpful in answering my questions on potatoes. Hope we can extend it to sweet potatoes.
Thanks,
Carol

**Tom Wagner** · February 5, 2007

Carol,

I just talked with Carol at Sand Hill. She sure has a lot of sweet potato varieties available. Which of her long list of varieties did you order? My best yielder in the past was Geo. Jet, but not a great eater.

This topic on sweet potatoes is a departure from so-called "Irish" potatoes. It might be a good idea re-introduce yourself to sweet potatoes by going to Wikipedia, a cool service for those wanting a quick update. As follows:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato

Food History links
http://homecooking.about.com/od/food...nd_Recipes.htm

http://homecooking.about.com/od/food...pothistory.htm
Once you go to the above site, check out the following categories of good info.
• The Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams
• Sweet Potato Selection and Storage
• Sweet Potato Fact Sheet
• Yam Selection and Storage
• Yam Fact Sheet
• Sweet Potato and Yam Health Benefits
• Sweet Potato History
• Sweet Potato / Yam Recipes

The International Potato Center (CIP) maintains the largest potato and sweet potato genebanks in the world, each containing thousands of accessions of wild, traditional, and improved varieties. There are some great links about sweet potatoes at CIP.

SAND HILL PRESEVATION
has some great sweet potato varieties. At $1.00 per slip, you should be able to find the perfect s. potato for your tastes. Get your order in early. Note that they are out of some varieties and limited to only 6 slips of some.
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/...o_catalog.html

Amish White Bunch
Batas
Bermuda White
Betty's)
Beuregarde
Brazilian
Bush Porto Rico
California Gold
Carolina Bunch
Carver
Centennial
Continental Red
Copper Jewel
Darby
Dingess Connecticut Bloom
Dingess Pink Tint
Dingess Rusty Coat
Dingess Yellow
Edna Evans
Frazier White
Georgia Jet
Georgia Red
Georgia Yam
Ginseng Red
Golden Slipper
Goldstar
Hayman
Hernandez
Ivis White Cream
Japanese
Jeanie
Jewell
Jubilee
Korean Purple
Laceleaf
Martins
Maryland 810
Maynard Family White
Memphis Pride
Millard Cooper
Nancy Hall
Nugget
Oakleaf
Okinawan
Oklahoma Red
Old Brazil
Old Fashioned Southern Queen
Old Henry
Old Kentucky
Orange Oakleaf
Poplar Root
Pumpkin Yam
Purple
Qualls
Red Ivy Leaf
Red Wine Velvet
Red Yam
Regal
Ringley's Porto Rico:
Sharp
Shoregold
Southern Queen
Spanish Red
Stevenson's
Stoker Red
Sumor
Tennessee Top Mark
Theodore Meece Old Fashioned White
Vardaman
Violetta
Wakenda
White Delite
White Hayman
White Jewell
White Queen
Whitestar
White Triumph
White Yam
Willowleaf
Yellow Jersey

Sorry for the long list but I enjoyed looking it over.

Tom Wagner (potato moderator)

caascher2 · February 5, 2007

Thanks for all the info Tom. I am going to plant the following:
Ivis White Cream
Korean Purple
Maryland
Pumpkin Yam
Violetta
I will let you know how they turn out!
Carol

cdntomato · February 8, 2007

Don't know how useful in the south, but I highly recommend Ken Allan's bible on sweet potatoes for anyone growing in the north. (Yes, this is Ken, colleague of Carol Deppe, quoted on the cover of her book).

For anyone in the area (Kingston/Eastern Ontario), I'm organizing a workshop on sweet potatoes with Ken as workshop leader. Give me a PM if you want more info.

Ken's website. And yes, he does have Parkinson's unfortunately, which is why we are VERY blessed to have him participate.
http://home.cogeco.ca/~allan/sweet_potatoes_flyer.html

If anyone wants something from Ken, let me know. I have all his seed collection, including stuff no longer listed.

Jennifer

garnetmoth · May 8, 2007

Hey Carol- how are they coming?

I got Red Wine Velvet from SSE this year. I ate some awesome purple sweet potatoes from the International Market but didnt get any to sprout. Ill have to try again.

Its been a bit wet and still a bit cool so I havent planted my slips out yet, but today or tomorrow.... 2 in containers, one in the ground.

caascher2 · May 12, 2007

Garnetmoth..I am waiting for my slips to come. I ordered them from Sandhill, and according to the catalog they say they will ship to me around the end of May. I am anxiously waiting for them and have my area ready to plant.
I will let you know how they turn out later this summer!
Thanks,
Carol

shelleybean · November 5, 2007

My SIL, Carol, who started this thread, gave me one slip from her Sand Hill order. I just wanted to grow one because I thought it might be fun for the kids. Anyway, I chose Ivis White Cream from her assortment and planted it and then forgot about it all summer. I mulched it with some straw and watered it now and then but that's it. Yesterday I dug up three ENORMOUS sweet potatoes. They're huge! I think each one could feed four people! I guess I should have dug them up a month or so ago but I didn't know any better. Next year I'll place my own order and grow more. I was really pleasantly surprised with my one vine.

caascher2 · November 5, 2007

He is a picture of what I got from my sweet potato harvest. I planted a 4 X 4 plot. I was pleasantly surprised! The one pic with the vines is the before and then there is the after with all the sweet potatoes.

Anyone know how to start slips? I was thinking of saving my smaller ones to start the slips with.
Thanks!
Carol

**Tom Wagner** · November 15, 2007

Quote:

Anyone know how to start slips? I was thinking of saving my smaller ones to start the slips with.
Thanks!
Carol

Starting the slips in the Spring is not much of a problem, just cover in sand (2 inches) and water. Getting good quality roots to keep 'til Spring is more of the problem, but generally follow the simplified directions like the copy/paste below:

Sweet potatoes
Dig roots carefully to avoid skinning or bruising.
Before storing cure the sweet potatoes to promote healing of wounds.
Place the sweet potatoes in an area with a temperature of 80 to 85°F and high relative humidity for approximately 10 days.
A high relative humidity can be provided by placing the roots in storage crates or boxes and covering them with paper or heavy cloth.
Once cured, store roots in a dark location with temperatures of 55 to 60° F.
Good storage results can be obtained by wrapping cured sweet potatoes in newspaper and storing them in a cool closet.

macmex · January 18, 2008

Good advise Tom. We raise them every year and consider them to be a mainstay for our diet.

Garnetmoth, how did the Red Wine Velvet do for you? I introduced that one to the Seed Savers Exchange, after finding it in a farmers' market in Warsaw, IN; back around 1983. Seems it does well for some and gets "crotchety" with others. But we love the tender moist insides of that one.

George
Tahlequah, OK

February 4, 2007	#1
caascher2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Va. Beach, VA Posts: 178	Sweet Potatoes I ordered some sweet potato slips from Sand Hill. I haven't planted sweet potatoes before, but am excited to try them out. Has any one grown them who could offer some tips. I have an area by my back fence where I am going to plant them. Any hints on preparing the soil? Should I use a raised bed? Doing online research they look fairly easy and seem less finicky than regular potatoes. I am also planting regular and fingerling potatoes but am using the container method for planting them. This forum has been very helpful in answering my questions on potatoes. Hope we can extend it to sweet potatoes. Thanks, Carol

November 5, 2007	#7
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	My SIL, Carol, who started this thread, gave me one slip from her Sand Hill order. I just wanted to grow one because I thought it might be fun for the kids. Anyway, I chose Ivis White Cream from her assortment and planted it and then forgot about it all summer. I mulched it with some straw and watered it now and then but that's it. Yesterday I dug up three ENORMOUS sweet potatoes. They're huge! I think each one could feed four people! I guess I should have dug them up a month or so ago but I didn't know any better. Next year I'll place my own order and grow more. I was really pleasantly surprised with my one vine. __________________ Michele

February 5, 2007	#2
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	Carol, I just talked with Carol at Sand Hill. She sure has a lot of sweet potato varieties available. Which of her long list of varieties did you order? My best yielder in the past was Geo. Jet, but not a great eater. This topic on sweet potatoes is a departure from so-called "Irish" potatoes. It might be a good idea re-introduce yourself to sweet potatoes by going to Wikipedia, a cool service for those wanting a quick update. As follows: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato Food History links http://homecooking.about.com/od/food...nd_Recipes.htm http://homecooking.about.com/od/food...pothistory.htm Once you go to the above site, check out the following categories of good info. • The Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams • Sweet Potato Selection and Storage • Sweet Potato Fact Sheet • Yam Selection and Storage • Yam Fact Sheet • Sweet Potato and Yam Health Benefits • Sweet Potato History • Sweet Potato / Yam Recipes The International Potato Center (CIP) maintains the largest potato and sweet potato genebanks in the world, each containing thousands of accessions of wild, traditional, and improved varieties. There are some great links about sweet potatoes at CIP. SAND HILL PRESEVATION has some great sweet potato varieties. At $1.00 per slip, you should be able to find the perfect s. potato for your tastes. Get your order in early. Note that they are out of some varieties and limited to only 6 slips of some. http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/...o_catalog.html Amish White Bunch Batas Bermuda White Betty's) Beuregarde Brazilian Bush Porto Rico California Gold Carolina Bunch Carver Centennial Continental Red Copper Jewel Darby Dingess Connecticut Bloom Dingess Pink Tint Dingess Rusty Coat Dingess Yellow Edna Evans Frazier White Georgia Jet Georgia Red Georgia Yam Ginseng Red Golden Slipper Goldstar Hayman Hernandez Ivis White Cream Japanese Jeanie Jewell Jubilee Korean Purple Laceleaf Martins Maryland 810 Maynard Family White Memphis Pride Millard Cooper Nancy Hall Nugget Oakleaf Okinawan Oklahoma Red Old Brazil Old Fashioned Southern Queen Old Henry Old Kentucky Orange Oakleaf Poplar Root Pumpkin Yam Purple Qualls Red Ivy Leaf Red Wine Velvet Red Yam Regal Ringley's Porto Rico: Sharp Shoregold Southern Queen Spanish Red Stevenson's Stoker Red Sumor Tennessee Top Mark Theodore Meece Old Fashioned White Vardaman Violetta Wakenda White Delite White Hayman White Jewell White Queen Whitestar White Triumph White Yam Willowleaf Yellow Jersey Sorry for the long list but I enjoyed looking it over. Tom Wagner (potato moderator)

February 8, 2007	#4
cdntomato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kingston, Ontario Posts: 554	Don't know how useful in the south, but I highly recommend Ken Allan's bible on sweet potatoes for anyone growing in the north. (Yes, this is Ken, colleague of Carol Deppe, quoted on the cover of her book). For anyone in the area (Kingston/Eastern Ontario), I'm organizing a workshop on sweet potatoes with Ken as workshop leader. Give me a PM if you want more info. Ken's website. And yes, he does have Parkinson's unfortunately, which is why we are VERY blessed to have him participate. http://home.cogeco.ca/~allan/sweet_potatoes_flyer.html If anyone wants something from Ken, let me know. I have all his seed collection, including stuff no longer listed. Jennifer

May 8, 2007	#5
garnetmoth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: cincinnati, oh Posts: 492	Hey Carol- how are they coming? I got Red Wine Velvet from SSE this year. I ate some awesome purple sweet potatoes from the International Market but didnt get any to sprout. Ill have to try again. Its been a bit wet and still a bit cool so I havent planted my slips out yet, but today or tomorrow.... 2 in containers, one in the ground.

May 12, 2007	#6
caascher2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Va. Beach, VA Posts: 178	Garnetmoth..I am waiting for my slips to come. I ordered them from Sandhill, and according to the catalog they say they will ship to me around the end of May. I am anxiously waiting for them and have my area ready to plant. I will let you know how they turn out later this summer! Thanks, Carol

January 18, 2008	#10
macmex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Tahlequah, Oklahoma Posts: 102	Good advise Tom. We raise them every year and consider them to be a mainstay for our diet. Garnetmoth, how did the Red Wine Velvet do for you? I introduced that one to the Seed Savers Exchange, after finding it in a farmers' market in Warsaw, IN; back around 1983. Seems it does well for some and gets "crotchety" with others. But we love the tender moist insides of that one. George Tahlequah, OK