Can sweet potatoes be grown in the low desert?
The Center of Science in the Public Interest ranked sweet potatoes No. 1 in nutrition of all vegetables — they’re rich in vitamins A, C, E, beta carotene and other minerals. Beta carotene promotes healthy skin, hair and eyesight. Sweet potatoes have many times more beta carotene than carrots, the mineral for which carrots claim to be king. Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America, so they grow best in hot weather. Sweet potatoes won’t grow in cold soil, so there’s no point in planting them until the soil has warmed up to at least 70 degrees. April and May is the ideal time to plant them. Sweet potatoes are grown from transplants or vine cuttings called slips, not from seeds. To start growing slips, buy a few sweet potatoes at the grocery store and place them on top of the water heater to hasten the sprouting and growing process. After sprouts start showing, lay the sweet potatoes on their sides in no more than 2 inches of moist dirt. It’s all right if a few sprouts show t
