Your comments and tips

30 Aug 21, Bonnie Hawks (USA - Zone 6b climate)

Can this area plant. Potatoes/sweet potatoes in the fall?

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01 Sep 21, Melinda Schwab (USA - Zone 8a climate)

Sweet potato farmers here grow sprouts by “bedding” seed potatoes in March. This is done by placing the whole potato in the ground, covering them with a thin layer of soil and plastic. Sprouts will be cut and transplanted from the greenhouse or bedding field to a different field in May or June. It takes approximately 90-120 days without frost to grow a sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are ready to dig 90-120 days after sprouts are transplanted. Around here in August the rows are plowed and sweet potatoes are flipped on top of the ground. Most sweet potatoes are cured. Curing changes starches in the sweet potatoes into sugar, making it sweeter and the skin tougher. It takes 4-7 days of 80-85̊ temperature and 80-90% relative humidity to cure sweet potatoes. After being cured, sweet potatoes are stored at temperatures between 55-60º F and 85% relative humidity. This special storage process is why sweet potatoes are available 365 days a year here in USA. Here in North Carolina, USA sweet potatoes are shipped all over the world. It is one of our largest farmed food crops. I hope this helps... ~Melinda

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14 Dec 21, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)

Thank you - excellent information - especially about "bedding" the sweet seed potatoes and cutting the sprouts for transplant!!!

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07 Sep 21, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Where I live sub-tropical Australia we are becoming the sweet potato capital of Australia. The sprouts are called ?

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18 Oct 21, Peter Hurley (USA - Zone 4b climate)

Sweet potato sprouts are known as "slips". In the United States sweet potatoes tend to be the reddish type with orange flesh, a good variety is Georgia Jet, Australia may be more familiar with what we would call yams.

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01 Sep 21, (USA - Zone 6b climate)

April May if you had checked the planting guide here.

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22 Aug 21, Sue (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

When best to plant potatoes in Turangi - still pretty cold down here at moment - do I wait until September or maybe later?

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24 Aug 21, Tony (New Zealand - temperate climate)

the issues to consider are: Do you have chitted seed? When is last frost date? When does the psyllid bug become active (usually around December) Even if you plant now they will just sit until conditions are good. You can make earthed up rows and plant into that rather than in cold hard soil.

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17 Aug 21, Stephen Stallard (Australia - temperate climate)

Where can I buy any English Variety "New Potatoes" for planting in our Home Garden. Any ideas would be very much appreciated. Many thanks. Stephen

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29 Aug 21, Anon (Australia - temperate climate)

Try an on-line search where to buy it.

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