The sweet potato is one of the most important foods in the world after rice, but has only recently attracted the attention of hobby gardeners in the local regions. Although their name suggests it, sweet potatoes are not botanically related to the well-known potatoes, but belong to the bindweed family. In addition, they are extremely happy to climb and use climbing aids to beautify desolate house walls and wooden privacy screens.
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Grow sweet potatoes in the bed
Their South American origins tell the experienced hobby gardener that growing sweet potatoes in the garden bed is only promising if it is in a mild, sunny to partially shaded location. The roots thrive particularly well at an average temperature of 24 ° Celsius. The soil quality should be slightly sandy and rich in nutrients. If the temperature falls below 10 ° Celsius, the plant either restricts further growth or stops it entirely. Frost kills them. Since the sweet potato only produces one or two seeds every now and then, it is grown using seed tubers that are commercially available. Experienced gardening enthusiasts only acquire them shortly before they are to be used because they quickly become moldy in the packaging. The seed potatoes are buried in a box with good garden compost or potting soil in the second half of April, where they will shoot in a warm room until mid-May. As soon as the ice saints have said their goodbyes, the preferred sweet potatoes can go outdoors. In the intended bed, the earth is loosened with a digging fork, while some compost and a few handfuls of horn shavings are worked in at the same time. The tubers are cut with a sharp knife so that each piece has a long, strong shoot. Experienced hobby gardeners are very careful with this work, because the shoots can be quite long with 10 cm to 15 cm and break quickly. In the bed, the seed tubers are now about 5 cm deep into the ground at a distance of 30 cm to 40 cm, with the shoot tips protruding. The row spacing is ideally 90 cm to 120 cm. The gaps are covered with mulch, such as leaves, lawn clippings or compost.
Cultivation in the box or the traffic light
If there is no suitable bed or if the sweet potato plant also serves as an ornament, nothing speaks against growing it in a flower box. For this purpose, the seed tubers are planted in potting soil or a compost-sand mixture in the house as early as January. Here, at a temperature of around 17 ° Celsius, the first shoots develop after two weeks and then grow rapidly. After 6 weeks the time has come to clip the shoot cuttings from the tubers so that they can produce their own roots. Several cuttings can emerge from a long shoot, which are now planted in the flower box or placed in a glass of water, where strong roots will form after a short time. Attractive leaves and flowers will develop from this, but not edible tubers. Alternatively, the same procedure can be used here as when growing in the bed, whereby the shoots are not separated from the tubers. 4 plants are placed in a 80 cm flower box. As soon as there is no more frost to fear, you can go out onto the balcony or terrace. If a hanging growth habit is not sought, climbing aids give the long shoots of the sweet potato sufficient support. Since different varieties of sweet potato are ideally suited as a lush hanging plant, in this case too, early cultivation takes place in the house, with each hanging light only accepting one plant. Hobby gardeners who are aiming for a rich harvest choose larger flower boxes or tubs, because with good care a whole bucket of sweet potatoes can be harvested from a single plant tuber. whereby the shoot pieces are not separated from the tubers. 4 plants are placed in a 80 cm flower box. As soon as there is no more frost to fear, you can go out onto the balcony or terrace. If a hanging growth habit is not sought, climbing aids give the long shoots of the sweet potato sufficient support. Since different varieties of sweet potato are ideally suited as a lush hanging plant, in this case too, early cultivation takes place in the house, with each hanging light only accepting one plant. Hobby gardeners who are aiming for a rich harvest choose larger flower boxes or tubs, because with good care a whole bucket of sweet potatoes can be harvested from a single plant tuber. whereby the shoot pieces are not separated from the tubers. 4 plants are placed in a 80 cm flower box. As soon as there is no more frost to fear, you can go out onto the balcony or terrace. If a hanging growth habit is not sought, climbing aids give the long shoots of the sweet potato sufficient support. Since different varieties of sweet potato are ideally suited as a lush hanging plant, in this case too, early cultivation takes place in the house, with each hanging light only accepting one plant. Hobby gardeners who are aiming for a rich harvest choose larger flower boxes or tubs, because with good care a whole bucket of sweet potatoes can be harvested from a single plant tuber. go out onto the balcony or terrace. If a hanging growth habit is not sought, climbing aids give the long shoots of the sweet potato sufficient support. Since different varieties of sweet potato are ideally suited as a lush hanging plant, in this case too, early cultivation takes place in the house, with each hanging light only accepting one plant. Hobby gardeners who are aiming for a rich harvest choose larger flower boxes or tubs, because with good care a whole bucket of sweet potatoes can be harvested from a single plant tuber. go out onto the balcony or terrace. If a hanging growth habit is not sought, climbing aids give the long shoots of the sweet potato sufficient support. Since different varieties of sweet potato are ideally suited as a lush hanging plant, in this case too, early cultivation takes place in the house, with each hanging light only accepting one plant. Hobby gardeners who are aiming for a rich harvest choose larger flower boxes or tubs, because with good care a whole bucket of sweet potatoes can be harvested from a single plant tuber. in this case, too, the early cultivation takes place in the house, with each traffic light taking up only one plant. Hobby gardeners who are aiming for a rich harvest choose larger flower boxes or tubs, because with good care a whole bucket of sweet potatoes can be harvested from a single plant tuber.
Cultivation in the potato tower
Since all varieties of sweet potato need a lot of warmth, experienced gardeners recommend growing them in the potato tower. This is a variant of the raised bed that grows in layers in proportion to the growth of the potatoes. A potato tower can be framed with the following materials:
- Natural stone
- untreated wood
- Truck or car tires
- sheet
- Bamboo mats
- plastic
A large, dark tub is also suitable, provided it has holes through which the excess irrigation water can drain and the shoots grow out. The floor should be covered with a close-meshed wire mesh to protect against voles. A layer of potting soil is spread over it. At the end of April / beginning of May, the pre-germinated tubers are placed 5 cm deep into the ground as the first layer. When the shoots and the leafy green have grown 10 cm to 15 cm above the ground, the next layer follows, which consists of potting soil or compost. The exciting thing about this system is that it is not necessary to distribute another layer of tubers, because the leaf axils under the ground produce so-called daughter potatoes. Now follows layer by layer, in which another element is attached or placed on top, until the potato tower has reached a height of 80 cm to 100 cm, depending on the climatic conditions. If a layer of hay is added every now and then, this prevents the formation of waterlogging.
maintenance
Whether as a useful plant or for decoration, the sweet potato plant thrives the more splendidly the better it is cared for:
- Protect from direct sunlight.
- Keep the soil evenly moist without waterlogging.
- Water abundantly when it is dry.
- Mulching protects against too rapid evaporation.
- Fertilize with complete fertilizer or horn shavings from March to September.
- Apply liquid fertilizer in the box or bucket every 3 weeks.
- Tendrils that are too long can be cut off.
Since the sweet potato does not tolerate any frost and is already damaged at temperatures below 10 ° Celsius, it is usually cultivated as an annual plant, because overwintering the above-ground parts of the plant is difficult, very time-consuming and only rarely succeeds.
harvest
During the summer, the sweet potatoes diligently form further daughter tubers in the ground, which promise a rich harvest. When the tendrils turn yellow in September and October and dry up, it’s time to get them out of the ground. As the sweet potatoes grow just below the surface of the earth, experienced hobby gardeners advise you to pull them out with your hands, as gardening tools could damage the tubers. If the sweet potatoes were cultivated in a potato tower, this is simply broken down layer by layer and the ripe tubers tumble out. The earth is only shaken off and not washed off. If you give them the opportunity to dry out in the fresh air for two to three days, they can still be stored cool and dry for some time at around 12 ° Celsius. A potato crate is ideal for storage, because the air can circulate here and no mold forms. The tasty tubers should be consumed as soon as possible, because the sweet potato cannot usually be stored in the cellar for as long as the conventional potato. Incidentally, no fruit should be around during storage, because the gas is given off, ethylene, which shortens the storage time because the tubers rot. Under ideal storage conditions, the sweet potatoes can be kept for a maximum of 6 months. So that the seed tubers don’t have to be bought again for the cultivation of the sweet potatoes next year, the experienced gardener keeps a few specimens of his harvest in order to plant them again next year. because the sweet potato cannot usually be stored in the cellar for as long as the conventional potato. Incidentally, no fruit should be around during storage, because the gas ethylene is released, which shortens the storage time because the tubers rot. Under ideal storage conditions, the sweet potatoes can be kept for a maximum of 6 months. So that the seed tubers don’t have to be bought again for the cultivation of the sweet potatoes next year, the experienced gardener keeps a few specimens of his harvest in order to plant them again next year. because the sweet potato cannot usually be stored in the cellar for as long as the conventional potato. Incidentally, no fruit should be around during storage, because the gas ethylene is released, which shortens the storage time because the tubers rot. Under ideal storage conditions, the sweet potatoes can be kept for a maximum of 6 months. So that the seed tubers don’t have to be bought again for the cultivation of the sweet potatoes next year, the experienced gardener keeps a few specimens of his harvest in order to plant them again next year. because the tubers rot. Under ideal storage conditions, the sweet potatoes can be kept for a maximum of 6 months. So that the seed tubers don’t have to be bought again for the cultivation of the sweet potatoes next year, the experienced gardener keeps a few specimens of his harvest in order to plant them again next year. because the tubers rot. Under ideal storage conditions, the sweet potatoes can be kept for a maximum of 6 months. So that the seed tubers don’t have to be bought again for the cultivation of the sweet potatoes next year, the experienced gardener keeps a few specimens of his harvest in order to plant them again next year.
Recommended varieties
Since the sweet potato as a species from the morning glory genus is suitable both as a useful plant and for the decorative planting of window boxes and pots, some tried and tested varieties are presented below. These were put through their paces by the Chamber of Agriculture and were able to withstand the strict criteria of the experts.
Blacky
- Leaf color: dark
- Leaf shape: lobed
- Lump formation: good
- Plant height in the box: up to 30 cm
- thrives in a sunny and partially shaded location
- Shoot length on average 40 cm
Autumn
- Leaf color: bronze-green
- Leaf shape: lobed
- delicate purple flowers
- Lump formation: hardly
- well suited for shady boxes
- Shoot length in the shady location: 46 cm
- Shoot length in a sunny spot: 26 cm
Sweet Caroline Bronce
- Leaf color: bronze
- Leaf shape: lobed
- Lump formation: hardly
- ideal for partially shaded and shady places
- Shoot length in partial shade: 98 cm
- Shoot length in the sun: 66 cm
Marguerite
- Leaf color: light green
- Leaf shape: heart-shaped, tapering to a point
- Lump formation: good
- loves the sunny location
- Shoot length in the sun: 40 cm
- Shoot length in the shade: 24 cm
Sweet Caroline Purple
- Leaf color: dark
- Leaf shape: lobed
- Lump formation: hardly
- sunny and partially shaded location possible
- Shoot length in partial shade: 32 cm
- Shoot length in the sunny spot: 28 cm
Sweet Heart Light Green
- Leaf color: light green
- Leaf shape: pointed and heart-shaped
- Lump formation: good
- prefer it a bit shady
- Shoot length in partial shade: 64 cm
- Shoot length in a sunny place: 38 cm
Black Tone
- Leaf color: dark, black-red
- Leaf shape: heart-shaped
- Lump formation: good
- Shoot length under the sun: 70 cm
- Shoot length in partial shade: 33 cm
Varieties with particularly beautiful flower formation
Ipomoea purpurea
- white, sky blue and purple flowers
- lime-sticking varieties
- if the substrate is too nutrient-rich, flowers will not develop
Blue imperial winds
- magnificent, funnel-shaped, blue flowers
- can be cultivated for one year
- climbs up to 4 m high on trellises and walls
Indicates
- beautiful blue-shaded flowers
- ideal container plant
- not hardy, but can overwinter indoors
- Cut back in the bucket and put in a cool place
Purge
- unusual large, purple flowers
- very vigorous variety
- blooms from summer to late autumn
The mainly decorative morning glories develop only very small bulbs, if at all. Thanks to their ability to climb, they are ideally suited for overgrown privacy screens and house walls. Not to forget the excellent suitability of these varieties as colorful, carpet-like ground cover, even in partially shaded and shady corners of the garden.
Conclusion
The sweet potato is developing into a serious competitor to the potato. Although they are not botanically related, they are very similar in terms of cultivation, care, harvest and preparation. However, the sweet potato scores with another advantage that the potato cannot counter: With their unusual leaf shapes and colors, as well as their distinctive flowers, the above-ground parts of the plant offer themselves as decorative ornamental plants in flower boxes, in pots, as picturesque ground cover and tasteful climbing plants. Those who grow them in their beds because of their tasty tubers only have to consider a few care instructions so that the harvest is plentiful. The potato tower in particular meets the demands of warmth-loving sweet potatoes. One can be curious
