How To Grow Ube In Your Backyard? Step-By-Step Guide

Dioscorea alata is a species of yam (a tuber) known by numerous other names, including ube or bigger yam. Some tubers range in colour from cream to pure white, but most are bright lavender to vivid violet-purple, hence the common name. While D. alata is also cultivated in Okinawa, it is occasionally mistaken for taro and the Okinawa sweet potato Benito. Humans have been aware of D. alata since ancient times when it first appeared in the Asian tropics.

It is frequently consumed baked, boiled, or as ube halayá, a sweetened dish that is a common component of halo-halo, an iced treat. More lately, purple yam desserts—known in Filipino as "ube"—have made their way to the India through Philippine cuisine. It is especially well-liked because it gives desserts a vibrant violet-purple hue. Find out how to cultivate it!

Growing Purple Yams In A Garden: A guide

• Purple yams can be purchased at a fruit and vegetable store, chopped into small pieces, and then placed in a pail of damp, sandy soil to begin sprouting. Once they sprout, which is in late October, when there is no longer any risk of frost, they are ready to be planted out.
• Create furrows, leave 50 cm between rows, and then plant the yams that have sprouted 15 cm deep in the ground. The new growth should be oriented upward.
• Fill the well with water.
• To moisten the soil, lightly mulch it with organic mulch such as pea, lucerne, or bark chips.
• Depending on the weather, water at least twice a week.
• It is necessary to mound tubers with soil since they will push through it. Since the cold enhances the flavour and sweetness, yams can be collected after the first frost in areas prone to frost. 
• Dig a hole in the ground and pull out the yams. After being carefully cleaned, they can be used for cooking right away. Still, please take caution while eating raw purple yams since they contain a harmful component called dioscorine that must be neutralised through cooking.
• Yam tubers can be kept in a cold, dark location for a few months.

How To Cultivate Purple Yam In A Container?

• Select a large rectangular pot or one at least 600 mm wide. Pour high-quality potting mix inside.  This will help retain excess moisture.
• After sprouting the tubers, plant them 10 cm deep and cover them with potting mix.
• Place the pots in direct sunlight. Fill the well with water.
• Cover the potting mix surface with a thin layer of organic mulch, such as pea straw, bark, chips, or wood chips.
• After planting, make sure the pot receives enough water, but avoid letting the water collect in a saucer at the bottom of the pot.
• It is necessary to mound tubers with soil since they will push through it. Since the cold enhances the flavour and sweetness, it can be collected after the first frost in areas prone to frost. 
• Dig a hole in the ground and pull out the yams. They can be used right away for cooking after being fully cleaned. Alternatively, you can keep them in a cool, dark location for a few months.

Read More: Starting A Kitchen Garden? These Are The Easiest Plants To Grow

Growing Tips To Keep In Mind

• Since this plant is somewhat invasive, it is recommended that other vegetables be grown in containers or set aside in a separate area for their cultivation if you plan to utilise the garden bed for them in the future.
• Avoid eating purple yams uncooked because they contain dioscorine, a poison that must be neutralised through cooking.
• Purple yams don't need much care or attention.
• In the warmer months, they grow quickly.

Due to their similar colours, flavours, and culinary applications, purple yam and purple/violet sweet potato cultivars sometimes need to be corrected. Like other yams, purple yams tend to be moister than sweet potatoes. Moreover, purple yams have more anthocyanins than sweet potatoes.