Howard has a good plan for growing sweet pototoes in the Texas Organic Vegetable Book. They are the true no brainer crop, but it does help to have sandy acid soil. Whole sweet potatoes should be placed into a shallow bed now. In about 40 days "slips" are twisted off the parent plant. At this point, we cut off the root tip (standard sp grower practice to help eliminate disease) and place the slips in a prepared raised bed about 2 feet apart. Avoid any fertilizer that is not complete composted as sweet potatoes are subject to fungal diseases. We use a little mined potassium and soft rock phosphate to prepare the bed and then once a week fish/molassas/kelp/humate foliar spray. Weed a little at first, but sweet potatoes spred and cover most competition. Note: They are a pain to harvest when costal bermuda has grown up into the bed. Also, if it gets dry, fire ants see them as a water source. Irrigate to keep fire ant damage down, but not too much as they will rot from over watering.
Sweet pototoes can be harvested 90-120s after planting, but long periods of growth result in giant sweet potatoes. They need to cure for awhile, and they get sweeter as the winter goes on. Storage needs to be around 55 F. Too cold or too warm they rot. Otherwise, they last and last.
Also, beds should be rotated and not used for sweet potatoes but every 3-5 years. Growing cereal rye during the winter before helps in areas where root knot nematods are a problem. Again, they are great crop in Texas and thrive in an organic program.
Let us know if you have more questions.
_________________ Steve in East Point
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