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Stewart Robert Hinsley · 28-10-2009, 12:12 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

In message ,
writes
In article , wrote:
jonbey wrote:
My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere
(can order online but costs stupid money).

Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how?

Aren't yams very similar to sweet potatoes? (which you can buy
easilly from supermarkets, actually, especially this time of year)

No. Unfortunately, the word "yam" essentially means "edible root"
in the countries where they are grown, despite what the OED says.
It can mean pretty well anything, but almost all are tropical.

The most 'official' meaning is Dioscorea species, which are unrelated
to Ipomoea batatas, the sweet potato, and taste very different.

I've grown sweet potatoes with small success, but they didn't seem
to be worth the space and effort for the amount we got. I think
they may have needed more water and warmth when I did them.

Yup. They really need 6 months of warm, damp conditions - where warm
is close to the maximum that the UK gets to.

Would growing them in a heated greenhouse work, or do we need more
sunlight as well?
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley