Ipomoea batatas (Sweet potato/"yam") growing in Canada?

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by Ralph Walton, Mar 22, 2008.

  1. Ralph Walton

    Ralph Walton Active Member 10 Years

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    Denman Island,BC
    Is anybody growing Ipomoea batatas aka sweet potato and yam in these northern climes? I'm thinking specifically of the orange sweet/moist variant, for food use. I know it's way outside it's normal range, but what else is new? Perhaps with inside starts and row covers or greenhouse?

    Ralph
     
  2. Durgan

    Durgan Contributor 10 Years

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    I would be interested, but I can never find the seed sprouts. Last year my wife grew a 'flowering' sweet potato, and when emptying the pot there were two large tubulars. We cooked them and they were excellent, but they were white not orange or yellow. They tasted exactly like the store bought common orange variety.

    I made a half hearted effort to sprout the store bought sweet potatoes last year, but all they did was rot.
     
  3. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    I know that the thread is about a year old, but I just wanted to comment that you'll be interested to read tomorrow's Photo of the Day on sweet potato trials at UBC Farm.
     
  4. Thean

    Thean Active Member 10 Years

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    Howdy Durgan,
    This is how I managed to sprout store bought tubers. The process is long and I don't know if it's a bit late for your area. Tubers in the major grocery chains are too big. I find small tubers in Oriental grocery. I placed the tuber in a plastic bag together with a ripening banana. Check every other day as water condensation can be high, and to replace rotting banana. The ethylene gas helps to offset or neutralize the sprout inhibitor sprayed on the tubers. It took more than a month before I got any sprouts showing. Although I got very good growth and lots of tubers (around 20/per bush) quite a few over a foot long, but none were thicker than the size of my thumb - most were just as thick as my index finger. I'm not sure why. I did tried eating them. What can I say. They had to be good, right, since I grew them.
    There is a seed company in Eastern Canada that specializes in supplying sweet potato slips. But I cannot remember the company's name. Dominion Seeds do carry two varieties.
    Peace
    Thean
     
  5. pierrot

    pierrot Active Member 10 Years

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    try Mapple Farms in Weldon NB

    they have slips of ipomea and other interesting vegetables
     
  6. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    Check out the photo of the day, right up your alley!
     
  7. mollee

    mollee Member

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    K Baron, which "photo of the day" are you referring to in your last post? I noticed that you live in the Metro Vancouver area (me too!)... do you know where I can purchase such sweet potato tubers?
     
  8. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    Mollee

    Oh soo long ago, It must be on the March 14th date?

    I used a grocer's produce sweet potatoes for this purpose, but now it is too late in the season to start them here.....
     

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