A Taste of the Tropics - Sweet Potatoes
These are included in this series under protest - can't stand them - but what do I know - many people love them..
..
perhaps palate enlightenment will come to them one day! Sandy soils with a bit of clay in them are ideal for sweep potatoes, but they are a forgiving veg and will grow in many other soils so long as they don't become water-logged.
If your garden bed is low lying, make some mounds or ridges, dig in compost and place the seedlings at the top of small ridges.
They will grow well in almost any soil as long as water doesn't puddle in the soil after a rain.
If the soil is not well drained, it can be worked into ridges or mounds.
Some people add compost to the ridges and mounds before planting.
They require little or no fertiliser, relatively drought tough, and cope with weeds.
If you do fertilise, simply use a seaweed based liquid fertiliser.
However, if you soil is rich in organic materials, there is usually little need for more fertiliser.
They don't need much water to crop well.
Sweet potatoes or Kumera are a source of starch and are rich in vitamin C.
Sweet potatoes are a hot weather vegetable, and the hotter it becomes they swifter they grow.
However, do not let them dry out during the first weeks after planting the cuttings.
In the tropics a common practice is to plant vine cuttings of about a foot long into the ground covering at least two thirds of the length.
Space about a yard apart and preferably use cuttings from the tip of the vine.
If you cannot obtain any vine cuttings, plant the tuber directly into the ground.
When the tubers are big enough harvest then and place them in your compost (whoops, sorry) in your storage as quickly as you can.
Exposure to the sun for more than half an hour can spoil them.
Storage needs to be cool and humid.
The excess vines can be fed to your animals if you have any - mind you, I'd feed the lot to them! Tip: never plant sweet potatoes in ground where they have previously grown.
..
perhaps palate enlightenment will come to them one day! Sandy soils with a bit of clay in them are ideal for sweep potatoes, but they are a forgiving veg and will grow in many other soils so long as they don't become water-logged.
If your garden bed is low lying, make some mounds or ridges, dig in compost and place the seedlings at the top of small ridges.
They will grow well in almost any soil as long as water doesn't puddle in the soil after a rain.
If the soil is not well drained, it can be worked into ridges or mounds.
Some people add compost to the ridges and mounds before planting.
They require little or no fertiliser, relatively drought tough, and cope with weeds.
If you do fertilise, simply use a seaweed based liquid fertiliser.
However, if you soil is rich in organic materials, there is usually little need for more fertiliser.
They don't need much water to crop well.
Sweet potatoes or Kumera are a source of starch and are rich in vitamin C.
Sweet potatoes are a hot weather vegetable, and the hotter it becomes they swifter they grow.
However, do not let them dry out during the first weeks after planting the cuttings.
In the tropics a common practice is to plant vine cuttings of about a foot long into the ground covering at least two thirds of the length.
Space about a yard apart and preferably use cuttings from the tip of the vine.
If you cannot obtain any vine cuttings, plant the tuber directly into the ground.
When the tubers are big enough harvest then and place them in your compost (whoops, sorry) in your storage as quickly as you can.
Exposure to the sun for more than half an hour can spoil them.
Storage needs to be cool and humid.
The excess vines can be fed to your animals if you have any - mind you, I'd feed the lot to them! Tip: never plant sweet potatoes in ground where they have previously grown.