Sweet Potatoes..Grow and Harvest

Comments

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    Good idea - I've had no luck with sweet potatoes here. There were so easy to grow - fields full back home!

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Up here one year we grew large plants, but didn't have a long enough season to get any nice tubers. Mind you, we just used store-bought ones to start.

    I had just started another plant recently that was to be a houseplant, but I saw that egg cases had developed & I recognized the bumps on the leaves as being related to an infestation on some indoor tomato & pepper plants a few years ago. I threw it out immediately upon finding that. Better that than all of my plants, and the simplest solution.

    Nothing had spread to any of my plants. Whew!

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @silvertipgrizz I am so glad you posted this! I tried to start a plant twice but I put the potatoes directly in the soil without pre-rooting as in the article. They just rotted and I had no idea why.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There is a Grower's Outlet near me which I hope I can get to at some point. Every year I buy sweet potato plants from them and plant them in my garden for ground cover and in the flower bed in my front yard. I've tried several times to start my own but haven't had much luck. This place sell them by the plant or by the flat so I figure it's easier to buy them.

  • maimover
    maimover Posts: 359 ✭✭✭

    Hoping to grow some this year. Thinking of using pallets to make a “crate” for them. Want to try regular potatoes as well...

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I like easy! And I love sweet potatoes!

    I like them baked, or cooked in the Instant Pot (canned works, too, in a pinch) them I mash them up skin and all, add lots of good butter, a spoon of honey or maple syrup, and cinnamon and cardamom. Great with pork dishes!

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    Thank you silvertipgrizz for posting this great article. As you would be aware, sweet potato is hard to contain in the vegetable garden, so this way of growing, ticks a few boxes. Will definitely give it a go.

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning I tried planting some sweet potatoes from the store last year. Then I found out from the local Master Gardener group that you could end up with anything. I did have a lot of growth from on sweet potato but it only yielded one really big one and one smaller one. The rest didn't even look like sweet potatoes as I know them. Much smaller leaf, narrow vines and it yielded nothing. Well, I say nothing. It has put down deep roots and spread all over my 16X4 foot raised bed! I currently just pull them us as they are competing against what I did plant this year lol. I wonder if the leaves/vines are edible? I should see if I can identify it lol. Oh well, lesson learned.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @seeker.nancy I have read that sweet potato leaves are edible, but NOT yam leaves...those are poisonous. Maybe someone else can add to that.

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning Sweet potato leaves are edible. I know a farmer who sells them at the market before the sweet potatoes are ready to be harvested.

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning I had read that, and tried a few leaves in a salad of the one I knew was a sweet potato but it was tough and not a flavor I cared for. Maybe cooked? Has anyone tried cooking them or is that what I was supposed to have done lol?