Erato Vineland Early Orange

Season Overview

Description

The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a main part of the diet in South America. It belongs to the bindweed family (Convolvulaceae) and is a member of the nightshade family. It is distantly related to our potato (Solanum tuberosum), but otherwise there are few similarities. There are even no similarities at all with other tuberous plants such as the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Sweet potatoes are available in white, yellow, pink, orange or purple and the tubers can reach a size of up to 30 cm and several kilograms. The plant forms long shoots with dense leaf growth. The leaves have a heart-shaped form reminiscent of ivy and are light-dark green. The sweet potato is an annual plant. Sweet potatoes are sensitive to cold.

Growing tips

The sweet potato is very sensitive to the cold and can therefore only be planted out after the Ice Saints or the last frosts. When planting, you can either plant the entire tuber or just the individual sprout cuttings that have formed during pre-sprouting. If the whole tuber is used, about half of it should be sticking out of the soil. As with potatoes, it is also worth growing sweet potatoes in 60 cm wide and 20 cm high ridges. Growing in ridges allows the soil around the sweet potato to warm up more quickly, which promises faster growth. At the same time, excess water can drain away more quickly and the risk of waterlogging is reduced. Of course, sweet potatoes can also be grown in pots - especially for colder regions, this method is a good alternative to growing in beds, as the young plants can still grow in a sheltered house or conservatory and only move outdoors when the risk of cold snaps has been completely eliminated. For cultivation in a container, this should have a volume of at least 20 liters. A black pot can be an advantage as it does not reflect sunlight and the soil in the pot warms up more quickly. The substrate should be loose and well-drained, and the sweet potato also appreciates plenty of sun and a sheltered location. Sweet potatoes grow very slowly, especially at the beginning. The result: for a long time, the bed offers a lot of bare soil, which can lead to increased soil erosion. This can be counteracted with black foil, mulching or mixed cultivation with lettuce, spinach or radishes before the sweet potato takes over the bed in the later cultivation period with its dense growth. The larger the sweet potato's leaf network grows, the more water it needs. Pot-grown sweet potatoes need to be fertilized more often, whereas bed-grown sweet potatoes can be fertilized well at the beginning of the growing season. As soon as its leaves turn yellow, the sweet potato is ready to harvest from September/October. However, they must be harvested before the first frosts, as they cannot tolerate the cold and will die. When harvesting, care should be taken not to damage the thin rind, as this shortens the storage time and can lead to rotting. (For more information visit plantura.garden).

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Moist

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

High

Plant distance

50 cm

Row spacing

50 cm

Seeding depth

10 cm