I can tell you first hand that it takes about six months for a SweetPotato to go from being a young sprout to an appetizing pie, pudding, or side dish on your dinner table.

The first thing a farmer does before planting SweetPotatoes is decides which variety to grow. Varieties differ in skin color and type. For example, the Beauregard variety has a red skin with orange flesh and will produce few sprouts but is a high yielding, early maturing SweetPotato. Beauregard SweetPotatoes are the most commonly grown variety, accounting for over 70% of the commercial acreage planted in NC.

Another common variety of SweetPotato grown in NC is Hernandez, accounting for 25% of the commercial acreage produced. The Hernandez is a copper skinned, orange-flesh variety with a moderate resistance to most diseases, while the Beauregard has a low resistance. Another popular variety of SweetPotato grown in North Carolina is White Delite. This variety is pink-skinned with a cream-colored flesh. It has many of the same taste characteristics of other varieties but has a better resistance to diseases and nematodes.
The SweetPotato itself is the seed. Each SweetPotato root will produce sprouts, which are then planted to produce high yields of high-quality roots. Farmers must use sound and true-to-type planting stock. It is most important to remember that the use of certified seed and an on-farm seed management program are important. When selecting seed stock, the farmer must also select for skin and flesh color.

After the farmer selects a variety to grow, the next step is to bed the seed. Seed is bedded by the end of March so that they will grow mature, viable roots that will be ready for transplanting into the field by early May in North Carolina. The most practical type of bed for the majority of North Carolina growers is a field bed covered with plastic, although other beds, such as in a greenhouse, are also used.

One of the most important considerations in SweetPotato production is the location of the plant bed. To avoid any carry over of disease or pests from a previous crop, the farmer must select a well-drained, sandy loam soil that has not been used to produce SweetPotatoes for at least three years. Each bedded seed root will produce up to 15 plants.

While the seed are producing plants that will later be transplanted into the field, the farmer doesn't just sit around and wait for the plants to grow. Land preparation occurs during this growing time. It is generally true that soils that produce a high yield of quality tobacco will also produce high yields of quality SweetPotatoes. Also, deep, sandy soils will always produce good-looking and the best-shaped SweetPotatoes.

To produce high yields of quality SweetPotatoes, the farmer must make sure that the soil has all the nutrients that it needs. Nematode and soil samples are sent in to the NCDA&CS Agronomic Division for testing in order to determine the proper amounts of lime, fertilizer, and nematicide that need to be added to the soil. Once the field site is chosen and the soil is prepared, the farmer can now plant delicious North Carolina SweetPotatoes.

While the farmer has been busy preparing the field, SweetPotato seed roots have sprouted in the beds and are now ready to be cut. The first thing that a farmer looks for in selecting plants to be cut and taken to the field is that the plants must be insect free. Next he will look for size. The best plants are 8 to 12 inches long and have eight or more leaves. Plants are cut above the ground and not pulled from the soil to reduce the spread of disease.

Once in the field, the farmer has to protect the SweetPotato crop against both pests and weeds. One well-established and successful management practice is integrated pest management (IPM). IPM is a management practice that uses pests against one another. Insect problems can be avoided through good field management, crop rotation, a viable seed program, use of resistant varieties, and proper harvesting, sanitation, curing, and storage practices.

In SweetPotato production, weed management is essential in plant beds and in the field. SweetPotatoes need lots of room to grow, and being crowded by weeds is not the ideal condition. Most farmers rely on timely herbicide applications combined with timely cultivation to reduce or eliminate weed problems. For each field, the farmer must know what weed problems are expected, the soil type, the time of planting, and the cultural practices that will be used before selecting an herbicide. Applying herbicides at the wrong time or at an excessive rate can cause extreme injury to the crop and soil.

Harvesting can be done either manually or mechanically. If laborers are employed to manually harvest the crop, they should be trained to separate them into two categories: fresh market and canning. Mechanical diggers harvest SweetPotatoes by exposing the roots of the plant so that they may be picked up by hand.

Once harvested, SweetPotatoes are taken to the storage house where they are cured. Curing is the natural, internal conversion of starch to sugar. A temperature of 85 degrees F and a humidity of 90-95% are desired during curing. During the curing process, SweetPotatoes rapidly heal any cuts, bruises, and skinned areas that occur during harvest.
 

After they are cured, the farmer stores the SweetPotatoes in temperatures of 55-60 degrees F and 85-90% humidity. Storage above this temperature range will increase the development of internal disorders such as weight loss, sprouting, and pithiness.

Although always a favorite during the holiday season, delicious North Carolina SweetPotatoes are good for you year round. In fact, SweetPotatoes are the healthiest vegetable you can eat for your after-school snack. They are very high in beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that helps prevent cancer. They also have vitamins E, C, and B6 as well as potassium, iron, and fiber.

What does all of than mean? Well, vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps promote healthy eyes. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, and it also helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. Vitamin B6 is important because it supports more essential body functions, such as protein metabolism and cellular growth, than any other vitamin. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and aids in muscle contraction. Iron helps move oxygen to all body cells, and fiber helps keep the digestive tract healthy. Imagine, all that from just one SweetPotato.

So be sure to eat SweetPotatoes all year round. From the farmer’s field to your plate (and into your stomach), there simply isn’t a healthier vegetable.