Sweet Potatoes / Yams

General Information:
There are few sweets better than sweet potato pie or better yet fried sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are warm weather crop requiring much larger beds that their Irish potatoes brothers. Most vegetable are grown from seeds or seedlings but sweet potatoes or grown from rooted cuttings of mother potatoes. These cutting are called slips, and are usually hard to find commercially. I will explain how they are produced for planting.

Soil Preparation
For best results incorporate liberal  amounts of compost deeply dug into the soil.  Rake to break up & remove debris from the soil. Work the soil only when it is dry enough not to stick to garden tools. sweet Potatoes grown In heavy clay or rocky soils mature slower and the roots are usually rough, stubby and unattractive. Work  the soil 8-12 inches deep.  Smooth the soil and work it up into a 48" wide beds. Deep wide  Beds allow good movement of air and water through the soil. Heavy soil retain too much moisture and will promote rotting of the roots. Form a 48" wide bed the length of your choice. Using a garden hoe form a shallow trench in the center of the 48" wide bed about 4" deep. Do not allow the trench between the 2 rows too extend beyond the end of the beds as this trench will hold water later.  The 2 rows in the 48" wide bed should be about 24" apart.

Fertilization
Perform a complete soil analysis to determine fertilization needs.  Soil sample kits including sample bag and instructions can be  obtained from your local county  Agricultural extension service office free of charge. However, the fee  for the actual soil analysis is usually about $15.00.

Excessive nitrogen will diminish yield of sweet potatoes.  Side dress only if your soil analysis indicates the need. Ideally a cover crop such as clover, buckwheat or winter rye grown in the potato bed the year before potatoes are planted to improves soil structure, organic-matter content and subsequent potato production.

Planting & Growing
Plant mother potatoes in a protected are 4 week before your last frost date. Plant the mother sweet potatoes in a small bed of moist sand for best slip production amended with compost. Place the sweet potato roots end to end 4" deep. Six or eight  mother potatoes will produce enough slip for a large sweet potatoes patch. Vines will soon appear from the sand reaching great length if allowed to continue growing. Allow the vine to grow to 4" long before cutting from the mother plant.  After all danger of frost has passed remove the vines and cut to 16" lengths. Soak in water before planting in the prepared 48" wide bed describe earlier. Find an old broom handle and carve a shallow grove across the end of the handle. The groove should be cut in a radius around the end of the stick so it will not break the vines when pushed into the soil. This handle will be used to plant the slips.  Lay the slips on the top of the soil perpendicular to the length of the bed 12" to 16" apart. Place the handle in the center of the length of slip in the groove formed on the handle. Gently push the center of the slip 6" into the soil. Pour water into the hole and cover up leaving both ends sticking out of the soil. The vines will probable wilt at first but will recover in a short time. Keep the soil moist and weed free for the entire growing season. The vive will soon completely cover the soil with heavy leaf growth eliminating most  weed growth. Cover the entire  48" wide bed including the trench between the 2 rows with leaves or straw mulch. The mulch will retain moisture, attract worms, and reduce the growth of weeds in the beds. Any weeds that do germinate are easily removed by hand or light cultivation.  When it is time to water your plants simply apply a moderate amount of water into the trench between the row you formed earlier.  Do not apply water to quickly as you may wash out  soil holding the water. The water will slowly soak deeply onto the root zone.  Using this method your plants will always have adequate moisture to perform well.

Care during the growing season
Keep the potato patch moist and weed free until harvest.  The vine will become very long and get into everything in sight.

Pests & Diseases
To prevent diseases, plant varieties with multiple resistance, use "certified" plants and rotate sweet potatoes’ location in the garden.

At certain sites, mice may become a problem by burrowing into the mound and eating the tasty, nutritious roots before harvest can commence. Check for evidence of mouse infestation regularly and apply appropriate control measures as needed.

Harvesting
Harvesting can commence anytime the root are of appropriate size. Sweet Potatoes will typically mature in 100 to 140 day from slip transplant dates. Be sure to harvest the roots before you first frost date. Freezing the root is damaging. If you cannot get them dug up and stored before a sever frost cut the vines back and cover with a heavy straw mulch for protection.  To harvest cut back the vines a loosen the root with a garden fork carefully preventing root damage. Cure the root in full sun for a day then move them to a shady place at about 80°for about a week before storing.

Storage
Store in a dark, cool humid environment. The root should keep for 6 months. Protect from mice in your storage area.

The severity of insect attack is much greater in late summer. It is suggested that the control program start early (emerging seedlings) and continued on a regular basis.  Consult your local county extension  service office for diagnosis and recommended treatment.

 

Harvesting:
Harvesting  okra normally required wearing protective clothing like a long sleeve shirt and possibly cotton gloves. The leaves of okra causes severe allergic reaction to people with sensitive skin.
Okra harvested early in the morning will have a higher sugar content and be more tender. Okra pods should not be allowed to grow beyond 4" or 5". Pod larger than this will be tough and stringy. Harvest okra using a pair of sharp pruning shears. Cut the pod stem close to the main stem. Also cut the leaf stem below the pod at the same time. Drop the leaf on the soil to help prevent the growth of weeds or add to your compost pile. Do not cut off the new branches as they form.  (Removing the leaf stems will minimize heavy infestations of white flies.) The branching limbs will produce more pods than the main stem of the plant. When harvesting is completed for the day clean the shears with a 10% bleach solution to prevent spreading disease.

Storage:
Okra is best when prepared fresh but can be easily washed, dried, and  cut up and frozen in zip lock freezer bags. Okra stalks and leaves make great compost if shredded