Young Farmer Harvested the First Crop of Sweet Potatoes in Lviv Region

A young farmer from the Lviv region, Mykola Dragan, grows unusual for Ukraine sweet potatoes. These have little in common with potatoes except for a similar shape and the fact that both crops grow underground, writes “Agro-Center” with a reference to “Golos Sambirshchini”.

Sweet potato harvest increases annually in Ukraine. It was 20 tons in 2017, and 190 tons in 2018. Sweet potatoes are great for making delicious and nutritious dishes with healing properties.

“Last year, while in Germany, I saw sweet potatoes for the first time. A local farmer cultivated this crop. When I returned to Ukraine, I decided to try growing sweet potatoes myself. After studying some information on the Internet on how to grow this vegetable, I bought eight bulbs from a company in the Donetsk region in the beginning of February. I planted them in a box with a mixture of soil and sand,”

said Mykola.

“The first harvest is over 50 kg from 50 sweet potato bushes, 35 of which are of the “Bonita” variety and 15 of “Georgia Jet” variety. It is very important to harvest before frosts.”

The young farmer says that it is also important to dry sweet potatoes in the sun for 6-8 days and then store them in a dry place. The vegetable can be stored for up to 6 months. It is impossible to store the harvest in the basement due to high humidity.

Mykola says that there are many ways to cook sweet potatoes such as frying, boiling, baking and dehydrating. Sweet potatoes taste like fried or boiled frozen common potatoes.