Product Overview
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dioscorea polystachya syn. Dioscorea opposita, Dioscorea batatas
ZONE HARDINESS: 4-11
PLANTING: Store bulbils at room temperature until ready for planting. Plant in spring as you would a seed, in pots or directly into the ground. Unlike a seed, they are clones, producing genetically identical plants. Provide a trellis.
HARVESTING: Grow up a trellis such as an arched cattle panel. Once ripe, place a tarp on the ground and shake the trellis, thereby raining bulbils for easy collection.
EDIBILITY: Bulbils can be cooked as bite-sized potatoes. They taste good, and once established can have prolific harvests. In chinese medicine the tubers are a longevity tonic named Shan Yao.
