fresh food

Growing One of Your Favorite Holiday Vegetables

Dan Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

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Cathy Isom has some tips for you about growing a favorite holiday vegetable. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

Yams are a vigorous herbaceous vine that will climb on anything – some vines grow up to 8 inches in a day! The tubers can grow huge – up to 6 feet and 150 pounds, but most are more manageable in size. The best thing about yams is that they require little attention once you plant them, and you’ll still be rewarded with a bountiful and tasty harvest.

If you want to grow a true yam, get yourself a yam tuber or talk to your local plant supplier to make sure you have yams and not sweet potatoes. There are well over 600 types of yams, so talk to your local nursery about what grows best in your area. Zones 8 to 10 have success with growing yams.

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True yams can’t have any cold temps for their entire growing season, which can be as long as 11 months, though some are ready for harvest after 5 months. If you live in a cooler area, it may still be possible to succeed at growing yams in a greenhouse. Yams require full sun and should be planted indoors before the first frost to get a good head start. Plant outside once the last frost has passed and the temperature is consistently above 80°.

For tomorrow’s program Cathy continues her series by reviewing some common problems, and solutions, for growing yams.

I’m Cathy Isom…