Every farmer pays a lot of attention to choosing the crops for the orchard or garden. If you are looking for the best variants for your rows, you should consider sweet potatoes. There are several reasons to plant root sprouts:
- Crops are very delicious. You can bake, grill or boil them;
- They are nutritious. They are rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron;
- There are a lot of available breeds which fit different weather conditions. Yet, the most appropriate is the hot temperature.
If you decide to grow sweet potatoes, the main thing you should take into account that you need at least 100 days to get the first tubers. The next important thing is that you can’t get sprouts from seeds. It’s also impossible to cultivate vegetables from last-year tubers.
Step #1. Get the slips
There are two possible ways to start slips. The primary one is to buy them at the special store. You may also start the vegetables from a mature vegetable. It can be both bought or home-grown sample. It’s important to distinguish a bush type from the vining one.
Every potato is able to produce up to 50 slip sprouts. They survive only in a warm place. It’s better to put the box with potatoes on the top of the radiator.
Step #2. Plant the slips
If the temperature of the ground is less than 80 degrees, it’s not a good idea to root the slips. It’s possible to start rooting the samples as soon as new roots appear. It’s better to keep new seedlings in fresh water. The soils conditions are of primary importance. The best variant is a loose, well-drained site. Moreover, the best place for growing crops is greenhouse construction.
Every sample should be planted into about 4’’ or 5’’ deep and 3’’ wide holes. Each plant needs own hole. Like other greenery, the crop doesn’t like pests and weeds. If you want to get rid of this problem at the beginning, it’s better to apply landscape cloth. It helps to avoid weeding and keep the seedling healthy.
Step #3. Right care
The first three weeks are the most important. Cool spring nights may kill the greater part of your greenery. To prevent it, you should cove the rows with the garden fabric. It’s recommended to water rows once a week. Yet, if the soil is too dry, you should do it more frequently.
Step #4 Harvesting
The yellow leaves are the first sign that it’s time to harvest your vegetables. It’s very important to do it before the first night cold. Otherwise, cold temperatures are able to damage the crops. The best place for storing the harvest is attic. The ideal temperature is about 55 degrees.
In conclusion, it’s worth mentioning that growing sweet isn’t difficult. The hardest part is getting healthy sprouts. Yet, the awesome taste of cooked vegetables is the main reason why it’s worth growing sweet potatoes.