Sweet potatoes need a long growing time and medium to light sandy soils that are well drained and relatively low in nitrogen. Excess nitrogen and heavy applications of fresh animal manures cause long, spindly roots of low quality. Heavy, tight soils cause misshapen roots, but this problem can be alleviated somewhat by planting the sweet potatoes on a ridge of soil or in raised beds. There are two types of sweet potatoes: moist- and dry-flesh types. Moist-flesh or "yam" types are most popular. Root skin color varies from yellow to white for dry- or firm-flesh varieties to bronze, red, pink, and orange for moist types.
