September 7th, 2023 by Laurel Moulton, WSU Regional Small Farms IPM Specialist
On September 7, the first ever sweetpotato field day was held at the WSU Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center (NWREC) in Mount Vernon. Twenty farmers and other folks interested in learning more about growing sweetpotatoes in western Washington attended and viewed the station trials. PhD candidate, Laura Schulz, shared her research that included variety trials, plant spacing and greens harvesting experiments.
Participants got to see how the varieties compared in the field. Three breeding lines from the USDA ARS sweetpotato breeding program are being evaluated for wireworm resistance and yield potential in our area, and one variety has already been released based on favorable performance at NWREC for these two traits. In the coming years growers will have access to the new variety, named ‘Cascade’ in recognition of our region. Trials in 2024 and 2025 will see the addition of other breeding lines that may have wireworm resistance, or other traits that might be favorable for production by small organic growers, such as compact growth habit that allows easier weed management, and different skin and flesh colors that can add variety in the farm stand.
Although residents of the Pacific Northwest may not be familiar with sweetpotato greens as a vegetable, they are a familiar ingredient for cooks from Asia and Africa to the southeastern United States. In warmer areas, sweetpotatoes can be a perennial crop with greens and roots to harvest as needed. In cooler locations where they are grown as an annual crop, it is important to understand how much of the vines can be harvested without impacting root growth. Laura’s research should shed light on whether and how local farmers can successfully harvest two crops from one plant in our short season climate. Field day participants enjoyed sampling fresh greens from a variety called Mahon Yam.
Sweetpotatoes have been grown at NWREC since 2019. A Western Sustainable Research and Education Grant (WSARE) enabled continuation of trials through 2025 and expanded research to local farms in Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap Counties. A total of 14 farms participated in on-farm trials this year and we hope that others will be interested in growing sweetpotatoes over the next two years. Interested growers can find production guides on the NWREC sweetpotato page, watch recorded classes on the WSU Regional Small Farms online learning library, or attend classes that will be offered over the next 2 years. Find out about classes by subscribing to the WSU Regional Small Farms newsletter!
For more information reach out to Laurel Moulton laurel.moulton@wsu.edu
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2022-38640-37490 through the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number SW23-951. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
