any kind for area 9, would love to try the new purple varietys,but would like any, see trade list

Hi I am looking for cool weather veggie seeds for this spring and sweet potato ( esp purple sweet potato). Pls check out my trade list. thanks

I don't know too much about sweet potatoes. Regular potatoes should be dug when the tops are dead. The will keep in the ground--in other words not freeze but you run the risk of too much moisture rotting the potatoes or some nasties nibbling on them. It is best to dig them and dry them. We do this in the shade on our lawn. Then my husband spreads plastic on the floor of our furnace room and leaves them for a couple of days so they are good and dry. Then he puts them in bushel baskets with a newspaper on top. They are stored on platforms in the cold cellar for the winter. If you don't have a cold cellar put them in a cool dry place raised off of the concrete. We use our own potatoes until they get too soft in early spring.

Mr. Brown Thumb says that the ornamental ones have been bred for their lovely foliage so that's why the potato is pithy and woody, whereas the sweet potatoes bred for their potato production are tastier ... in the tuber portion. http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com/2010/10/ornamental-sweet-potato-vine.html. Sooo if they're both Ipomoeas then one should grow them for what they intend to harvest and use for their tables ... either leaves or tubers? I have Puerto Rico sweet potatoes growing and will have to try eating the young leaves and shoots. This is a very interesting discussion because I have been curious about eating the foliage for a while. Does anyone know if all Ipomoeas (morning glories) have edible leaves? Thanks to you all for the information in this thread.