bean family and grows as a sprawling vine similar to a
blackeye pea. It bears very attractive purple flowers which
are followed by the bean pods containing seeds. They do
not appear to have serious pest problems and can be suc-
cessfully grown here during the rainy season. They are
nutritious and contain 1.2% protein, 10% carbohydrates,
and .7% fiber.


 The lesser yam (Dioscorea esculenta) is of ancient culti-
vation in Asia and is grown in other Caribbean islands. It is
special because while other yams "run" up to 30 feet and
take up a lot of space, this yam's vines are compact, running
only 6 feet or so. They also bear shallowly in the ground and
are therefore easier to harvest than other yams. The yam
itself is a cluster of potato-like tubers 4 inches across which
have a soft texture free of fibre and a slightly sweet taste.
Small tubers are saved to plant the next crop at a spacing of
12-18 inches apart. By using tripods of wooden sticks, the
twining vines can be restricted to a 3 foot wide bed with 3
rows in each bed. They are planted in May or June and can
be harvested 6 months later or left in the ground and dug as
needed. I have not seen any pest or disease problem with
these yams.
Sources for seed:
Amaranth Greenleaf Seeds, P.O. Box 98, Conway, MA 01341
Jicama Hastings Seed, 434 Marietta St. N.W., P.O. Box 4274,
Atlanta, GA 30303-4274
Water Spinach Blue Chip Farm, St. Croix 772-2986
Potato Yams Blue Chip Farm, St. Croix 772-2986 Joseph Pember-
ton, Estate Concordia, St. Croix.


Jimcama, a root vegetable with slight apple flavor, can
be cooked or eaten raw.
Potato Yams
 Tropical yams (Dioscorea sp.) are different from sweet
potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) even though some sweet pota-
toes are known as "yams" in the U. S. Yams are commonly
grown on St. Croix, but a rare type, variously called potato
yam, tippy tombo, or cush cush, can be easily grown here,
and in much less space than other yams.


Cush-Cush yam is a potato-like root crop which grows in
clusters. It cooks to a soft texture in about 15 minutes
when harvested young.


Blue Chip Farm is located in Estate Northside. The author
can be seen tending his crops.






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