sue
sweet posts are actually "tropical tubers" . . . a sheet of 6mil
BLACK PLASTIC sheeting 10' wide, with small holes (4X4") for your sets spaced at 18" apart cut out in the middle of that sheet and you'll do much better. we grow them under black plastic here in the mountains of WNC and they do very much better than if planted uncovered. they LOVE heat and will be damaged by cold - anything below 60* and they are pretty well dormant . . .
5 FACTS FOR GROWING FABULOUS SWEET POTATOES
- Sweet potatoes are alive and they breathe.
Never store sweet potatoes in a sealed plastic bag; ethylene gas produced by potatoes respiration will damage them. Rather use paper bags, boxes or wooden crates. Although they may be covered loosely by a tarp, this is not necessary. It is more important to store the potatoes at about 60°.
- Do not toss or drop sweet potatoes into storage containers.
Sweet potatoes will appear firm and indestructible when you dig them. They're not! A drop sufficient to crack an egg is sufficient to produce a tiny bruise on the sweet potato which, after a few months in storage will turn into a large rotten spot, often ruining the entire potato.
- Sweet potatoes are tropical plants.
Sweet potatoes start to shiver in storage and will eventually die at 50°. Although they will remain a good-looking corpse for a few days, they will ultimately develop pockmarks and a hard cone. The technical name for this is “chilling injury”
- Sweet potatoes need to be cured.
Starting immediately on the day of harvest, cure your sweet potatoes at 85 - 90° for five days. During this time the sweet potato will grow a second skin which becomes an incredibly effective seal. After curing, you can leave a sweet potato on the kitchen counter for several months without noticeable moisture loss. Without curing the sweet potato will last only a month or two in storage. Curing also initiates flavor development.
Providing proper curing conditions for five days requires planning. Think about a large closet or bathroom with a small electric heater. Keep the curing space at 80 to 90% humidity for best results.
5.
A newly dug Sweet potato is virtually tasteless.
A sweet potato does not reach flavor potential until it has been cured and stored for a few months. Eat sweet potatoes when they’re new if you must, but don't judge them until after New Year's Day.