To grow sweet potatoes should be outdoors in a well heated by the sun place, preferably on a hill. The sweet potatoes need light sandy and loamy, rich in organic matter of the soil. For successful cultivation of desired dressing of potash and phosphate fertilizers.
However, the sweet potato growing season is long, up to 9 months, and to obtain the desired harvest in our conditions, it only need to grow seedlings. With this purpose, not later than Jan - Feb need to buy tubers. When buying, pay attention to the roots were clean, dry and free of mold and rot.
The best dishes for seedlings is low wide wooden box or pot, oblong up to a height of 15-17 cm, with tray. Be sure the bottom drain, stagnant water in the box should not be. The soil that germinated sweet potato, cook of sand and loam with humus. Of fertile soils suitable for vegetable crops. Soil fill the box to half, it poured to 5 cm coarse sand.
Disinfected weak (1%) solution of copper sulphate, the tubers are laid out in the prepared containers, pressing slightly into the ground. From top to pour the sand so that 2/3 of the tuber with a maximum number of buds above the soil. If necessary, large tubers cut in half lengthwise, the slice is dried in air and dipped in wood ash. The best temperature regime for germinating 18-27 degrees. Boxes set on the windowsill on the South side and covered with a transparent film, which is removed when the seedlings appear the third sheet. Watering should be on top of the soil when the top layer of sand will dry out. The intensive development of seedlings they are separated from the tuber and roots separately.
Planted in the ground after full warm up, about what may or early June. In the South it is possible to drop in April. You can plant a pick or rooted cuttings. The width of the planting to 50 cm in the row and 120 cm between rows.
The sweet potato needs abundant watering, and only 2 weeks before digging the tubers to stop it. Digging up roots is possible only in dry warm weather in late September – October. Collecting in wet weather or after frost leads to rapid rotting of roots during storage.