It’s time to plant sweet potatoes in California. “Our sweet potato plants are propagated in hotbeds to trap the heat and keep the plants growing right on time for harvest in the fall,” says Greg Southworth, Vice President of Farming Operations for Bako Sweet®. These plastic covered beds generate heat and start seed germination. “Hotbeds act like a greenhouse as they can get up to 120°F. We open them up during the day to provide some airflow and close them at night to keep it warm.”
Usually, California sweet potatoes are planted from late spring through early summer. However, the amount of rainfall the state has received has an impact on timing. “The rain has put everything behind schedule as fields are too wet to work in,” commented Southworth. “In addition, the colder temperatures that are associated with rain have slowed growth.”
Easter holiday
All Bako Sweet’s potatoes are harvested and sorted by hand. While harvest takes place late summer through early fall, the crop is available year-round, and Bako Sweet is getting ready for an important sweet potato holiday. “Easter is the third largest holiday in terms of sweet potato sales, after Thanksgiving and Christmas,” says Alexandra Molumby, Director of Marketing with Bako Sweet. Sweet potatoes are a traditional dish found at Easter meals and last year, online delivery shoppers started stocking up on sweet potatoes two weeks prior to Easter.
Value-added sweet potato products make up about half of Bako Sweet’s product offering. “Today’s shopper is on the hunt for something special that provides a heightened experience and less prep work,” said Molumby. “Our triple-washed, value-added sweet potato solutions are the perfect elevation to the sweet potato category this Easter. We offer the highest quality, shopper-approved options available in the market.” To give shoppers inspiration, the company has posted plenty of Easter recipe ideas on their Pinterest page.
For more information
Alexandra Rae Molumby
Bako Sweet
Tel: +1 (661) 858-1075
sales@countrysweetproduce.com
www.bakosweet.com