(PNW Ag Network)
Washington State University is offering an educational sweet potato growing class on the web. There are basic requirements you need to grow this crop such as warm temperatures for perhaps many months. Yet how do you get around that?
Laura Moulton with Washington State University Extension says in part you can take advantage of the region’s natural growing ability. “In our area the yield can be comparable or even higher than the national average just because we have a longer day length here in the summer and that can make up for lack of heat. The longer day length promotes root growth so that’s an advantage that we have above other growing regions.”
But that only goes so far in the Pacific Northwest. You can plant short to mid-season varieties along with using something to warm the soil. Moulton says black plastic mulch is typically used but some farmers are trying other options.
Depending on where your farm is located your microclimate may mean you may not even need black plastic to get a great harvest. Another challenge though is dealing with wireworms.
Says Moulton, “We really are focusing on wireworms in this research because wireworms are the biggest barrier to growing sweet potatoes, at least the pest and disease barrier, that we that organic farms have here. So getting resistant varieties is really helpful.”
For more information you can check out the Washington State University Regional Small Farms Program.