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Re: [Re: Sweet Potatoes]

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

>Can anybody recommend a source for the "sweet potato" that I want? And
how>will it fare under the square foot system?
Vasha Alabama
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*
YAMS:  Dioscorea genus - Rarely grown outside of tropics.
_Mostly strach, little nutrician.

Sweet potatoes: Ipomoea family (same as Morning Glory)
_Native of cen/S America.  No veg commonly grown in US will take or needs as
much heat.  Tubers spoiled if soil <50F.  Ave of 70F day/night, req'd for
commercial crop., for 3 months.  Plant as soon as 50F sustained, if short
season.  2 wks later, if your season longer, to be on thew safe side.  Store
tuber often treated to not sprout.

Spacing, needs great drainage, so done in ridges, unless soil snady. 3-4 1/2
ft apart, 9-12" btwn plants.  Quality and yield suffer if plant spacing
increased to 24", even tho' they may be larger.  This yields 3.28 Sq Ft per
plant.

Somone (who shall remain nameles) suggested a query as to its suitability for
4x4, to stay On Topic.  That's the 4x4 list.  This is the SqFt (1x1) list. 
LOL

Sounds like 1 per 4x4, w/companion plantings, or 2 per, for fair yield (go
with rich soil to do this) and suffer slightly smaller tubers, but fairly good
yield.
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That said per normal circumstance, it is also noted:  for limited space, use
15x15", 12" deep minimum, light porous mix, stake in center to support vine. 
Or as lush vininghouseplant in bowl or jar.  (They are nice this way, & kids
can do it.)
-------------
Side Note:  saw a "Russian Finger" potato today. $3 per bag of 5-6, like onion
set bagd.  these were the size of your thumb, 3", narrowish.  Suggested for
potato salads.  said prolific, once crop triggers, (implied, nongradual, like
a regular potato.)  Good Sq Ft candidate.

Most of this info, from Ortho Veggie Book.
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>In Southern California grocery stores they sell two things: a "yam" that
  has pointy ends, beautiful orange flesh, and a slightly slimy texture, and
  a "sweet potato" that is shaped like a regular potato, has a rather
  ordinary-looking yellow flesh, texture that is fluffy like a regular
  potato, and a flavor that is far sweeter and tastier than the "yam."

  Now that I live in Virginia (zone 7) I have discovered that the "sweet
  potato" is not available in the local Safeway (they've got "yams" up the
  wazoo) so I want to grow it next year.

>And how will it fare under the square foot system?
Katherine Wendt

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There are 3 items to discuss.

Yams, which we won't.

Sweet Potatoes, slightly sweet fairly dry northern versio.
Southern "Sweets" commonly called yams, tho' they are not.

VARIETIES:

Dry---
_Jersey Orange
_Nugget
_Nemagold

Moist---
_Centennial
_Porto Rico (If typo, not mine.)
_Gold Rush
------------
Others probably, they implied these were best, and few could afford to keep me
in updated books...

Ever try www.37.com?
Perhaps tuber?
Bill

Second time I did this.  Mail apparently got lost.  I don't always do this off
line and have a backup.

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