Transcript Planting Instructions

SWEET POTATO
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The sweet, orange-colored root vegetable is one of
the oldest vegetables known to mankind. The
crop was introduced into China in the late 16th
century and spread through Asia, Africa, and
Latin America during the 17th and 18th
centuries.
All so-called yams are sweet potatoes. Most
people think that long, red-skinned sweet
potatoes are yams, but they really are just one of
many varieties of sweet potatoes.
So where did all of the confusion come from?
A true yam compared to an orange-fleshed sweet
potato.
A true yam is a starchy edible tuber that is
generally imported from the Caribbean. It differs
greatly from the sweet potato in taste, texture,
appearance and family.
Depending on the variety, sweet potato can vary
from white to orange and even purple. The
orange-fleshed variety was introduced to the
United States several decades ago. In order to
distinguish it from the white variety everyone
was accustomed to, producers and shippers chose
the English form of the African word “nyami”
and labeled them “yams.”
Sweet Potato
Nutrition
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VITAMIN A – Good for
healthy skin and eyes
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VITAMIN C- helps fight
infections & heal sores.
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MANGANESE help keep
blood sugar normal
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FIBER will keep you full
longer
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ANTIOXIDANTS helps with
your heart and lowers your
chance of getting cancer
SWEET POTATO LEAVES
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Sweet potato leaves are full of disease-fighting
antioxidants. In total, they contain 15 different
compounds that could help prevent heart disease,
diabetes, infection and some types of cancer.
Although uncommon in the United States, sweet
potato leaves have been used in Asian, African,
Central and South American and Pacific Island
recipes for years.
In Asian cultures the leaves are stir fried with garlic
and soy sauce and served over rice, or mixed into
soups. In the Philippines, leaves are eaten fresh in
salads. They can also be a good substitute for spinach
in dishes.
Sweet potato leaves are best when cooked quickly, like
in stir frying or steaming, so to not lose essential
nutrients. Boiling the greens also works, but you may
lose extra vitamins in the water. When making soup
this is not a problem. Leaves are prone to wilt, so
consume soon after purchase,
Nutrition Facts:
Vitamins A - Good for healthy eyes
Vitamin C - helps heal the skin
Riboflavin- helps with body growth
Iron – helps carry oxygen to cells
Fiber – keeps your full longer
Antioxidants- fight diseases
Low in calories
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
Site Selection
Choose a site with full sun and well-drained soil.
Planting Instructions
Raise the planting bed 6 to 8 inches to make a ridge 1 foot or so wide. Set
in
rows that are 36 to 48 inches apart. Firm the soil and make a sunken hole
around the
plant. Water beds generously for a few days.
Care
Control weeds by hoeing or mulch the area 4 to 5 weeks after planting.
Provide
deep watering in hot dry periods to increase yields.
Harvesting
Sweet potato plants will keep growing as long as the weather stays warm.
SWEET POTATO TRIVIA
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Sweet Potatoes have been around since prehistoric times.
Some scientists believe that dinosaurs might have eaten
these vegetables.
George Washington Carver was a scientist who developed
118 products from Sweet Potatoes! He used Sweet Potatoes
to make glue for postage stamps and a starch for sizing
cotton fabrics.
North Carolina leads all other states in Sweet Potato
production, producing about 40% of the national supply.
REFERENCES
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nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2667/2
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www.ncsweetpotatoes.com
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ncagr.gov/agscool/commodities/sweetkid.htm
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http://sweetpotatousa.org/links.htm
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www.all-about-sweet-potatoes.com/history-origin-sweet-potato.html
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www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20883418 Sweet potato leaves:
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www.ajol.info/index.php/jmbr/article/viewFile/44540/28045