[Iain@JBA]

I have been reading about these sweet potatoes tonight and wondered who has tried them and what success you have had with them.
I wondered if here in tropical Scotland I would be able to grow them commercially or if they would just be a disaster.
All thoughts welcome

[Trillium]

Here's some university info that might help your decision:
http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/sweetpotato2006-10.pdf

The key is that sweet potatoes need 4 months of warmth, not just sun or light. If you had big enough hoophouses you could try growing them but otherwise I can't see it working on a commercial level. For mine I can easily cover the raised bed when it gets cooler, something I couldn't do in large field plantings. And we've had a very hot summer here, 30C a lot of the time which is ideal for sweet potatoes, along with adequate rain.

[Iain@JBA]

Trillium that is a good read there and the temperature does seem critical.
I have some friends that are down south who have commercial greenhouses and no longer grow strawberries in them. I am wondering if these could be grown the same way as minitubers are produced(hydroponics)
From what I can see there are a couple of companies in the states that are sending the sweet potatoes over here for everyone to sell but I would rather produce them in the UK.

[Trillium]

Here you go:

http://www.actahort.org/books/361/361_58.htm

If your friends already have a hydroponic setup, then they should be able to do it. Note that some s.p. varieties do better in hydroponics than others, although this article may not mention it. The only factor that wouldn't vary would be the length of growing time, about 4 months, so they'd need to carefully cost it out. As growers, they could easily make their own slips which is what North American growers do. Only home gardeners are likely to buy ready started slips.

[rainbow1]

I'm growing them for the first time this year. I'll let you know how they turn out!

[Trillium]

Rainbow, you'll probably be interested in this thread which we pull forward every now and then:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50097.0

[rainbow1]

Thanks Trillium - I've been keeping my eye on that.
Excited about lifting them now. Hopefully now I have a variety that'll grow well (fingers crossed!!!) in the UK I'll have a ho at my own slips for next year as they are bloomin expensive to buy!