Ipomoea batatas [Erato Violet]

RHS

Annual Biennial Herbaceous Perennial

A tender, herbaceous perennial which is treated as an annual in the UK climate. The attractive green leaves are edible and at the end of the growing season, the underground tuber can also be eaten like a regular potato, boiled, baked, fried, roasted or mashed. This variety has violet-purple skins and sweet purple flesh, retaining its colour even after cooking. Plant out when the risk of frost has passed in May to June for harvesting September to October

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H2

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Convolvulaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Ipomoea can be annuals or perennials, often twining, or evergreen shrubs, with simple, lobed or dissected leaves and tubular or funnel-shaped flowers which may be solitary or borne in racemes or panicles
Name Status: Trade

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in deep fertile soil in a frost free spot with full light. Can be grown outdoors once all danger of frost is past, but needs a long growing period to produce a root crop. Can be grown in a large container. Train up a cane to save space, along the ground as ground cover, or allow to trail downwards from a container. Eating the leaves as a vegetable will limit its size, but at the expense of the root harvest. For more advice see sweet potato cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by dividing a tuber into 'slips', which are slices of tuber that include a bud. For more advice see sweet potato cultivation

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Sub-tropical

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshoouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly

Diseases

Generally disease-free