Lawrence-area educators, farmers and businesses are teaming up to celebrate a vegetable worthy of a month-long party: the sweet potato.

On Oct. 25, as part of the October celebration, Master Gardeners and Master Food Volunteers will offer resources and teach the fundamentals of growing and preparing sweet potatoes at the Downtown Lawrence Farmers’ Market, 824 New Hampshire St., from 8 to 10 a.m.

According to the group’s website, the goal of Celebrate Sweet Potatoes in Lawrence, “is to promote sweet potato consumption and to let people know of its nutritional value, versatility in cooking, historical value to this community, and ease of growing in your garden.”

Lawrence-area educators, farmers and businesses are teaming up to celebrate the sweet potato.

October is a great time to celebrate sweet potatoes because it marks the end of sweet potato harvesting season.

The group is right on target with “ease of growing.” Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America, and have been grown in what is now the United States since at least the 1600s. Sweet potatoes rarely have insect and disease pests and are tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions. In general, the hardy, nutritious tubers can be planted and harvested with little attention in the meantime.

October is a great time to celebrate sweet potatoes because it marks the end of sweet potato harvesting season. The tubers are easily damaged by freezing temperatures so they just need to be dug from the garden and stored indoors before frosty nights and mornings arrive.

Sweet potatoes store best when they are properly cured after digging. If possible, allow the potatoes to dry for a few hours immediately after removal from the soil. Then place potatoes in a warm (85 degrees F) room with high humidity (85 percent) for 10 to 14 days. A sunroom, closet or other small room may be most ideal for curing the potatoes. Curing the tubers at warm temperatures will extend the shelf life, help ward off decay and allow the sugars to fully develop.

After curing sweet potatoes, store them in a cool, dry location.

In Kansas, sweet potatoes are generally planted in mid- to late-May and June, or between Memorial Day to Independence Day. Instead of planting seeds or potatoes (as Irish potatoes are planted), sweet potatoes are planted as short vines known as slips. Slips can generally be purchased from your favorite local garden center or ordered through specialty producers. If planting in a small space, the vines may need to be trellised or supported.

Watering the plants over extended dry periods may increase yields.

Ornamental sweet potato plants will produce potatoes in the same manner as sweet potato varieties grown for cultivation. They are edible but are generally considered less palatable than food-crop varieties. An alternate take would be to plant food-crop varieties of sweet potatoes in with ornamentals, as their vines are pretty too.

Although sweet potatoes are sometimes referred to as yams, the true yam is a completely different plant. Yams are rarely grown in the United States.

— Jennifer Smith is a former horticulture extension agent for K-State Research and Extension and horticulturist for Lawrence Parks and Recreation. She is the host of “The Garden Show” and has been a gardener since childhood. Send your gardening questions and feedback to Lawrence Living@ljworld.com.