How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

Planting Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato is a very healthy root vegetable which belongs to the Convolvulaceae family. Growing of sweet potatoes is a highly joyful and gratifying form of activity. If you wish to learn the basic facts about planting potatoes in your home gardens and backyards here is an informative piece of knowledge available to help you. It is best to gather and purchase all the materials needed beforehand to avoid any trouble or inconvenience while planting it. Below are certain steps to be followed for growing sweet potatoes in your gardens.

Things required

The things needed for growing sweet potatoes are easily available. Firstly and most importantly are the fresh potatoes. Then you need a spading fork, watering cans a shovel and sand. After obtaining all the things get ready to cultivate the plants.

Location and preparation

An ideal location for growing sweet potato plants in your house should be a spacious place. A bed of sand should be prepared followed by placing the sweet potatoes in the sand. The potato plants should be adequately covered with moist sand. Regular watering of the plants should be done the vegetables should be left standing in the sand bed for at least 4-6 months time.

Pre parathion and watering

The growing sprouts or slips should be removed from the vegetables and they should be allowed to stay in room temperature for 3-4 days. The sprouts should be planted in a soil mound measuring 12 inches in width and 12 inches in height. Enough space should be left in between the sprouts. Do not plant the root crops in sandy soil. Regular watering of the slips is necessary for the survival of the sprouts till the plants are established. As soon as the hairs are seen erupting from the roots, the vegetables should be cultivated. Keep removing the weeds from around the plants.

Harvesting

The potato crops can be harvested as soon as the vines cover the entire ground till the proximity of the slips. The vines should be thrown away at least a week before harvesting and the spading fork can be used to dig up the vegetables. Most of the root crops can be harvested after 4 months of planting.

Care and maintenance

The potatoes should not be planted in the frost as they cannot survive in cold weather. The sweet potatoes should be cleaned with a brush to remove the dirt of the soil and sand from which they have been cultivated. They should not be washed with water if they are to be stored as this would result in rotting of the vegetables. The sweet potatoes can be stored in a cool and dry place for 5 months after harvesting them.

Bennie Polkbelcher is an expert in the field of Home Improvement. She has written various articles on that How To Plant Sweet Potatoes. You can find more information on planting a vegetable garden here: How To Grow Sweet Potatoes.

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