How To Grow Yams

Yams are very similar in taste to sweet potatoes, in that Yams are a sweet tasting root vegetable, and indeed you could be forgiven for thinking that they are exactly the same, and when it comes to growing yams the principles are very similar, except for the fact that yams can be a labour of love as they take six to twelve months to reach maturity, compared just a few months with sweet potatoes.

This fact puts many people off of growing Yams, also they thrive in a very warm climate, where as sweet potatoes can be grown in far more moderate climates. Indeed in Europe you may only practically be able to grow yams in southern Europe / Mediterranean with any great success.

Yams are best grown from tubers, and you are unlikely to find these in your local garden nursery, so it is best to turn to the Internet to source your yam tubers. When your yam tubers arrive be ready to plant them immediately in the ground.

Ideally the ground needs to have a good mix of compost in with the soil, indeed if your soil is heavy then you will get a better crop by planting Yams substantially in compost and not soil. You will need to plant your yam tubers around two inches below the surface of the soil.

Also you will need to drench the proposed planting location for your yams prior to planting them as they will develop very deep roots, and as such they are very water hungry when compared to sweet potatoes. Yams will also benefit from a liquid fertilizer once every two months.

Indeed in the early stages of their growth until the Yams sprout through the surface of the soil, you would be well advised to give your yams a heavy watering once in the morning, and once at night.

You could choose to grow the Yam tubers in much the same way as with sweet potatoes, but with yams for a better success rate then you are better off getting pre-grown tubers to plant.

Yams can be cooked just like sweet potatoes and boiled or roasted. Yams are a great tasting root vegetable and whilst they require a little more work than sweet potatoes to grow the results can be very rewarding. That said yams are best suited to being grown in a warm climate all year round for the best overall crop. Just remember that Yams do not grow as fast as sweet potatoes. If you problems with them then read up on Yam Pests And Diseases

Or why not find out How To Grow Sweet Potatoes instead of Yams?

By Richard Allen -