Tropical sweet potato – the plant which is loving heat and not transferring cold. However it is quite possible to grow up this rather useful root crop also in temperate climate.
It is necessary to grow up sweet potato in the open ground in the place which is well warmed up by the sun, it is desirable on the height. Sweet potato needs easy soils sandy and loamy, rich with organic chemistry. Also for successful cultivation the fertilizing by potash and phosphoric fertilizers is necessary.
However vegetation of sweet potato is long, up to 9 months, and for receiving desirable harvest under our conditions it needs to be grown up only through seedling. For this purpose not later than January - February it is necessary to get tubers. Upon purchase pay attention that root crops were clean, dry, without mold and decay.
The low wide wooden box or oblong pot up to 15-17 cm high, with pallet will be the best ware for seedling. The bottom is drained surely, stagnation of water in box should not be. Soil in which sweet potato will be couched is prepared from sand and the cespitose earth with humus. Pochvosmes will be suitable for vegetable cultures. Fill with soil box to half, on it fill up to 5 cm of coarse-grained sand.
Disinfected weak (1%) solution of copper vitriol tubers give all the best in the prepared tanks, pressing into soil a little. From above pour sand so that 2/3 tubers with the maximum quantity of kidneys were over the soil. If necessary, large tubers cut lengthways in half, dry cut on air and dip in wood ashes. The best temperature condition at prorashchivaniye of 18-27 degrees. Boxes put on windowsill from South side and cover with transparent film which is removed when on sprouts the third leaf appears. It is necessary to water on top soil when the top layer of sand begins to dry up. At intensive development of sprouts they are separated from tuber and separately implanted.
It is worth landing in soil after its full warming up, approximately it May or the beginning of June. In the south disembarkation in April is possible. It is possible to land sword-play or not implanted shanks. Width of landing is up to 50 cm among and up to 120 cm between ranks.
Abundant watering is necessary for sweet potato, and only in 2 weeks before excavation of tubers it is stopped. It is possible to dig out root crops only in dry warm weather at the end of September – October. Collecting during wet weather or after frosts leads to fast rotting of root crops at storage.