![]() ![]() The tubers will keep for about six months in storage. ![]() Cure sweet potatoes for 10 to 14 days prior to use by storing in a warm, dry place. If weather permits allow the harvested tubers to dry out for a few hours by leaving them on top of the soil. Place each half on a bed of damp potting soil using a deep tray. Use a garden fork to carefully dig up the roots being careful not to bruise the tubers. Propagate by creating slips from full-grown whole sweet potatoes using these steps: Use a sterile, sharp knife to cut a full sweet potato in half lengthwise. Sweet potatoes are usually harvested around the time of the first fall frost. Stop watering the plants 3 to 4 weeks before the anticipated harvest. Sweet potatoes require watering weekly especially during dry periods and the plants will benefit from a side dressing of fertilizer. Weeding is not necessary if using black plastic mulch. Weed the plants about two weeks after planting by gently pulling weeds by hand. Plant the slips in 15 cm (6 in) deep holes spaced 30–45 cm (12–18 in) apart, allowing 0.9 m (3 ft) between rows. Prepare the planting site beforehand by working in about an inch of compost. Sweet potato slips should be planted outside after all danger of frost has passed, usually about a month after the last frost date in your area. Those without should be snapped off and placed in a jar of water until they begin to develop roots. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly toasted. (Optional) Lightly oil both sides of the sweet potato slices, then place them on a baking sheet. Slice the sweet potato into even slices, approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick, using a sharp knife or mandoline. Cover the slips with soil and water them. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay down the slips across the mound with the roots at the lowest end of the soil. Fill the container and create a raised area on one side of the container with the soil. The shoots that have roots can be snapped from the main tuber and planted in individual pots. Potted sweet potatoes prefer well-draining, sandy soil with added compost. They have a taste very similar to the more common orange sweet potatoes but are generally believed to have more potent antioxidant properties. Purple sweet potatoes are a type that has a light purple skin and a deep purple flesh. Some of the sprouts will develop roots, others may not. Purple sweet potatoes are known for their cancer-fighting antioxidant potential. The easiest way to grow slips is to place a sweet potato in a jar of water using toothpicks to support it, place it in a bright, sunny window and and allow it to sprout. Slips are plants which have been grown from a mature sweet potato tuber. Sweet potatoes are grown from plants called slips. Sweet potatoes should be planted in full sun and require plenty of space as the vines will spread over large areas. They grow best at temperatures in excess of 25☌ (77☏) in well-draining, loamy soil with a pH of 5.6–6.6. Sweet potatoes grow very well in tropical and subtropical climates and they are very sensitive to cold weather.
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