Anybody grow sweet potatoes?

[Hybrid Mode 01]

     So, my last two seasons ('12, '13) saw nothing but carnage and embarrassment from my cucurbit garden insect feed lot. This season, I decided to forsake squash altogether and plant some sweet 'taters as a replacement winter-storage / stockpile-of-grub-for-when-the-bombs-fall vegetable.
     So far, so good. They grew really well all summer long. Actually, too well. Those f**kers ate five of my tomato plants, three basil plants, a dozen onions (I managed to rescue three from under the mattress of sweet potato vines.), and two parsley bushes. I just managed to pick my bush beans in June, right before the plants got really out of control.
     Anyhoo, I've read several different (occasionally conflicting) sets of instructions for harvesting and curing the tubers. I was hoping somebody had some practical experience with them and could give me some guidelines for drying, cleaning, curing and storing them. temps? times? type of beer to drink while schleppin' spuds?
     I've consulted other sources, including UofI extension, but I've seen the plants some of you folks can grow. And frankly, I'd heed your advice over any other gardener.
 
 
Here's a pic of some of the bigger ones. 

 
 
 
 
 
edit: Pretty cool how I got 'em to stick to the side of the house like that, huh?

 

[Jeff H]

Dear Dash2, beer taste is in the eye of the beholder, but you are on the right track. Light beer for drinkability. That way you can drink a bunch of them while you harvest the taters and not be full so you can eat them. Personally, I recommend Bud light, but your choice is okay too.
 
Sweet potatoes aren't something I like much though so I can't help you there. Wife likes them though.

 

[Nightshade]

I have a question for you I see a lot of plants at the garden centers that say sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes which ones are the edible ones?

 

[Hawaiianero]

I have a question for you I see a lot of plants at the garden centers that say sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes which ones are the edible ones?

Both. I grow the purple ones, they don't get as big but are less starchy. Also, the leaves on the purple ones are edible.
As far as drying/curing etc. spread out like you have them, room temp, out of direct sunlight, not above 85 degrees F for 2 weeks if weather is dry
Storage in a cardboard box lined with newspaper and paper between layers works fine.
Edit
I like to clean mine as soon as I pull them. Bucket of water and a stiff bristle brush like the kind used for washing truck tires and then a quick rinse with clean water, towel dry, set out to dry, etc.

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

 
As far as drying/curing etc. spread out like you have them, room temp, out of direct sunlight, not above 85 degrees F for 2 weeks if weather is dry
Storage in a cardboard box lined with newspaper and paper between layers works fine.

Edit
I like to clean mine as soon as I pull them. Bucket of water and a stiff bristle brush like the kind used for washing truck tires and then a quick rinse with clean water, towel dry, set out to dry, etc.

 
     Now I'm really confused. The one instructional step that was conserved in everything I read was the curing process. Placing them in a hot (~85F), humid (~90%) environment for anywhere from a week to a month and a half to allow the tubers to form callus tissue over all the harvest-inflicted wounds.
     How long do you store yours? Do you ever lose any to rot?

 

[Hawaiianero]

 
     Now I'm really confused. The one instructional step that was conserved in everything I read was the curing process. Placing them in a hot (~85F), humid (~90%) environment for anywhere from a week to a month and a half to allow the tubers to form callus tissue over all the harvest-inflicted wounds.
     How long do you store yours? Do you ever lose any to rot?

Hmmm interesting. I just go by what the old-timers tell me "2 weeks to dry the eyes and then in a box or milk crates or burlap bag in the dark by the water heater". Of course it's only fair advice for small backyard operations but it makes the point that storage in a dark dry place is key. Mine don't last for more than 3 or 4 months partly because no matter where I store them the average humidity is more than 75% and mold does eventually find it's way. Usually lose between 5-10% on average. In Hawaii, nothing is safe from mold unless it's either in the freezer or completely dried and stored in canning jars or seal-a-meal bags.

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

In Hawaii, nothing is safe from mold unless it's either in the freezer or completely dried and stored in canning jars or seal-a-meal bags.

 
     After my second post, I thought some more about the procedure you outlined. It dawned on me that Hawaii probably has enough ambient humidity that you probably don't need to make any additional accommodations to maintain high humidity for the curing process. Your tubers are probably perfectly happy sitting out in the open, and have no problem callusing in open air. 
     Do you find that scrubbing them hard right after digging them damages the peel? I noticed that any slight abrasion (contact with fingernail, rubbing dirt off) was enough to completely remove the peel in spots. I decided (before I read your post) not to clean them much and to leave most of the soil intact through the curing process. I figured it would just act as an additional layer of protection until I decide to cook them.
     I really appreciate your help, Hawaiianero. And I'm sorry if it seems like I'm nitpicking all your advice. It's just that I planted 15 hills of sweet potatoes this spring without giving much thought to curing. Now that I have 80 lbs of spuds to deal with, I really want to get this right the first time. I can almost deal with losing two years of squash crop to insects, but If I lose these sweet potatoes at this point, It will be only my fault. 
     Your anecdotal advice is exactly what I am looking for. It really helps flesh out all the textbook-like instructions I've read so far. If there's anything else you want to add about your curing and storage experiences, fire away. Thanks again!

Dear Dash2, beer taste is in the eye of the beholder, but you are on the right track. Light beer for drinkability. That way you can drink a bunch of them while you harvest the taters and not be full so you can eat them. Personally, I recommend Bud light, but your choice is okay too.
 
Sweet potatoes aren't something I like much though so I can't help you there. Wife likes them though.

 
     OK, I'll stick to the light stuff for curing and maybe switch to an IPA or dark German Lager when it comes time to eat a nice baked sweet potato with a big gob of butter.
 

I have a question for you I see a lot of plants at the garden centers that say sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes which ones are the edible ones?

 
     Are the plants labeled "sweet potato vine" (a decorative plant), or are they a named cultivar like Centennial or Porto Rico? I don't know about the decorative vines. I have a hunch that they're pretty much the same plant, but I'm not sure.

 

[Hawaiianero]

 
     After my second post, I thought some more about the procedure you outlined. It dawned on me that Hawaii probably has enough ambient humidity that you probably don't need to make any additional accommodations to maintain high humidity for the curing process. Your tubers are probably perfectly happy sitting out in the open, and have no problem callusing in open air. 
     Do you find that scrubbing them hard right after digging them damages the peel? I noticed that any slight abrasion (contact with fingernail, rubbing dirt off) was enough to completely remove the peel in spots. I decided (before I read your post) not to clean them much and to leave most of the soil intact through the curing process. I figured it would just act as an additional layer of protection until I decide to cook them.

You are right on both counts. I thought about it a little more too and believe our atmosphere/environment might be too different for me to give you accurate advice on curing/drying/storing so take it all with a grain of salt and maybe check out any local farmers markets to talk to other farmers. As far as the cleaning, you don't want to scrub too hard. Sorry I didn't make that clear. I guess leaving some soil on might be ok as long as it's "clean" meaning free from any organic material that might speed up the spoilage process. In any case, good luck and keep us posted on your success.

I have a question for you I see a lot of plants at the garden centers that say sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes which ones are the edible ones?

The variety I grow is called Okinawan sweet potato. Some people here use it as a hanging plant for decoration. If you continually clip the runners then it won't grow any tubers because all energy goes into replacing the vegetation. There are other varieties but I don't know much about them.

 

[Seacowboy]

Curing info is spot on. However DO NOT wash them. If you do the shelf life drops significantly. They will keep much better leaving them as is, yes you can knock off big chunks of dirt but other leave them dirty. Store them in basement or in cool, dry, dark place, burlap sacks work. I just used the last of mine from last yr about 2 weeks ago. Did not have 1 go bad.