Sweet Potato Vine ~ Ipomoea batatas Plant Care Guide
Source
The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are a root vegetable.[1][2] The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of Convolvulaceae, I. batatas is the only crop plant of major importance—some others are used locally, but many are actually poisonous. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (Solanum tuberosum) and does not belong to the nightshade family.
The genus Ipomoea that contains the sweet potato also includes several garden flowers called morning glories, though that term is not usually extended to Ipomoea batatas. Some cultivars of Ipomoea batatas are grown as ornamental plants; the name “tuberous morning glory” may be used in a horticultural context.
The plant is a herbaceous perennial vine, bearing alternate heart-shaped or palmately lobed leaves and medium-sized sympetalous flowers. The edible tuberous root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose color ranges between yellow, orange, red, brown, purple, and beige. Its flesh ranges from beige through white, red, pink, violet, yellow, orange, and purple. Sweet potato varieties with white or pale yellow flesh are less sweet and moist than those with red, pink or orange flesh.[3]
In certain parts of the world, sweet potatoes are locally known by other names, including: camote, kamote, goguma, man thet, ubi jalar, ubi keledek, shakarkand, satsuma imo, batata or boniato.[4] In New Zealand English, the Māori term kūmara is commonly used. Although the soft, orange sweet potato is often called a “yam” in parts of North America, the sweet potato is botanically very distinct from a genuine yam (Dioscorea), which is native to Africa and Asia and belongs to the monocot family Dioscoreaceae. To prevent confusion, the United States Department of Agriculture requires sweet potatoes labeled as “yams” to also be labeled as “sweet potatoes”.[5]
more information on history, cultivation and nutrition @ original link here
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Botanical name: Ipomoea batatas @ Old Farmers
Plant type: Vegetable
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9, 10, 11
Sun exposure: Full Sun
Soil type: Loamy
Soil pH: Neutral
Flower color: Purple
Bloom time: Summer
The sweet potato is a warm-season, spreading vegetable of tropical origin. It is a good choice for a garden because it is easy to grow, is drought- / heat-tolerant, and has few pests or diseases. The sweet potato is also very nutritious and low in calories.
Planting
- Sweet potatoes are grown from slips, which are sprouts that are grown from stored sweet potatoes. You can buy slips from garden centers, nurseries, or local farmers.
- You can also grow your own slips to plant in the spring. In November (this is when the best of the new harvest will be out), go to your supermarket and look for unblemished and uncracked medium sweet potatoes. One potato should yield about 12 plants.
- Store these potatoes in a well-lit room with a temperature between 65° and 70°F. Keep them there until about 90 days before the last spring frost date. They will then need to be embedded in soil for 90 days and kept continuously warm and moist.
- Use a 1-1/2 gallon pot for every two potatoes. Remember to poke drainage holes in the bottom of the pot and fill it with 3 inches of mulch followed by garden or potting soil. Plant the potatoes in the pot at a 45° angle so that the sprouts will grow above the soil. When the slips are 6 to 12 inches tall, you can plant them outdoors as long as all danger of frost has passed.
- After you have grown your own slips or bought them, till area of the garden you will be using to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. Create raised beds 6 to 8 inches tall and about 12 inches wide. Use fertile, well-drained soil.
- Plant the slips 12 to 18 inches apart in the bed, after the last spring frost date. Plant the slips deep enough to cover the roots and about 1/2 inch of the stem. Water the slips with a starter solution that is high in phosphorous, then water generously for a few days to make sure that the plants root well.
Care
- Side-dress the potatoes 3 to 4 weeks after transplanting with 3 pounds of 5-10-10 fertilizer per 100 feet of row. If you have sandy soil, use 5 pounds.
- Hoe the beds occasionally to keep weeds down. Remember to reshape the beds with soil or mulch.
- For good harvests, do not prune the vines, because they should be vigorous.
- Remember to keep the potatoes watered. Deep watering in hot, dry periods will help to increase yields, although if you are planning to store some of the potatoes, do not give the plants extra water late in the season.
Pests
- Flea beetles
- Sweet potato scurf
- White blister
- Fungal leaf rot
- Stem rot
Harvest/Storage
- You can start digging up the potatoes as soon as they are big enough for a meal. Often, this is three to four months from when you planted the slips. The leaves should have started to yellow, but you can leave them in the ground up until the fall frost.
- Since the roots spread 4 to 6 inches deep in the soil, a spade fork is useful when digging up the potatoes.
- Handle the potatoes carefully because they bruise easily.
- After digging up the potatoes, shake off any excess dirt but no not wash the roots.
- If you want to store sweet potatoes for an extended period of time, you must cure them. Curing the potatoes allows a second skin to form over scratches and bruises that occur when digging up the potatoes. To cure, keep the roots in a warm place (about 80°F) at high humidity (about 90%) for 10 to 14 days. For best curing, make sure that the potatoes are not touching one another.
- After curing, throw out any bruised potatoes, and then wrap each one in newspaper and pack them carefully in a wooden box or basket.
- Store the sweet potatoes in a root cellar or other place with a temperature of at least 55°F. The ideal temperature range is 55° to 60°F.
- The roots should last for about 6 months. When removing the potatoes from storage, remember to be gentle; do not dig around or else you will bruise the potatoes.
Recommended Varieties
- ‘Centennial’, which is one of the most popular types of sweet potato. It is carrot-color and has a good storage life. It is also a good producer for northern growers.
- ‘Jewel’, which is copper-color and has good disease resistance. It also has a good storage life.
- ‘Bunch Porto Rico’, which is a good choice for gardens with limited space. It is copper-color and very flavorful.
Recipes
- Sweet Potato Custard Pie
- Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
- Sweet Potato Cakes
- Sweet Potato-Chocolate Nut Cake
Cooking Notes
To the cook, sweet potatoes are easier than pie.
- They can simply be scrubbed, poked with a fork in a few places, and baked at 400°F for 35 minutes to one hour, until they give a bit when you squeeze them in your pot-holder-protected hand.
- In the microwave, a whole sweet potato baked on high should be ready in 4 to 6 minutes. It may still feel firm when done; let it stand 5 minutes to soften.
- Sweet potatoes can also be steamed whole, cleaned and unpeeled, for about 40 minutes or until tender, or cooked whole, cleaned and unpeeled, in boiling salted water for about 35 minutes. (Boiling reduces the flavor considerably.)
- Immerse cut raw sweet potatoes in water until you’re ready to cook them; they will darken otherwise.
As a general rule, don’t substitute sweet potatoes for regular potatoes in recipes; the two aren’t related. Sweet potatoes don’t hold together the way potatoes do, and their strong flavor can overwhelm a dish meant for a milder potato taste. But they make a fine substitute for pumpkin, especially in desserts.
Wit & Wisdom
Sweet potatoes will retain their color if cooked with a slice of lemon.
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See Also …
Growing Sweet Potatoes @ Bonnie Plants
Auntie Dogma's Garden Spot 
A great plant guide. Now I just need to work out how to stop every native animal under the sun from scarfing the leaves…sigh…
July 7, 2013 at 5:48 pm
thank you for warning, i put up scarecrow myself, am battling cats here
July 7, 2013 at 7:28 pm
We live in Tasmania so battle wallabies and possums and my exponentially increasing cluster of chooks (chickens) that are hell bent on eating everything green.
July 7, 2013 at 11:24 pm
was thinking maybe a trellis or container w/trellis might help you with animals
July 7, 2013 at 8:00 pm
We are building a massive fully enclosed vegetable garden out of old ex fish farm netting. If porpoises and dolphins and seals can’t chew through it, good luck to possums! Possums can climb over just about anything and reach their hands in to steal whatever is within reach. They are the bane of my life! Once this huge (tennis court sized) garden gets underway, good luck to the possums getting anything! 🙂
July 7, 2013 at 11:27 pm
🙂
July 7, 2013 at 11:37 pm