Japanese Sweet Potato (Satsumaimo)

(8/5) I planted these Sweet Potato slips (cuttings) in mid-December, which is seven and a half months ago.

I'm growing three types of Japanese Sweet Potatoes. On the left is a white skinned Satsumaimo, which is a little sweet and a good substitute for regular yellow potatoes. The center type is a purple skinned Satsumaimo, which is the type I harvested today. This type is quite sweet. The right type is a little different. It is called, Beni Imo, and is indigenous to Okinawa. It is sweet and has a unique flavor. Many sweets and pastries are made using Beni Imo due to its unique flavor and beautiful purple color.

I harvested over 1,400 grams (3.1 lbs) of Potatoes. These need to sit in a cool dry spot for 10-14 days to cure. 

The tubers should not touch each other during the curing process, so I will spread them out. The curing process allows any damage to the tuber to heal over and to dry a bit, which makes the tuber sweeter.

Pretty Decent size.

I added some nutrients and a little fresh soil before planting new slips (cuttings). The same soil can be used for about three years if the soil is pest free and recharged with nutrients and fertilizer. 

I took about 15 cuttings from the vines I removed and replanted them. They look pretty weak initially, but will bounce back in about a week as soon as they start rooting. The vines grow amazingly quickly, which makes the leaves a good source of greens, but the tubers take 4 to 6 months to mature.

(8/8) I took these cuttings on 5 August and placed them in water on 6 August. These roots grown in just two days.