Topic: A little success with sweet potatoes!

[pumkinlover]

  :icon_cheers:global I have tried for years and at last I have some grow 

[Silverleaf]

Ooh, nice work there!

[goodlife]

I've tried so many times too and never had that many or that big ones..WELL DONE YOU!

Now how did you do it....in or out?

[Nigel B]

Lovely! Well done!

[galina]

They are fab!  What a success!   

[French-Dream]

  Well done...I tried last year in the greenhouse, loads of tops, no yams.  I'm going to give them another try in 2015 fingers crossed.

[pumkinlover]

Thanks! This year I used rooted plants from t & m. They are good healthy plants with plenty of roots it was a surprise when they came as I forgot that I had ordered rooted plants. I grew them in the greenhouse and was chuffed to bits to finally get a crop worth eating

[Digeroo]

Excellent.  Any tips on how to do it?

[Plot22]

I tried them for the 1st time this year. I got a crop of sorts but there were a lot of stringy ones which I think was because I did not pinch out the growing tips of the plants thus causing plenty of top growth instead of tuber growth. I am experimenting at the moment with one of my tubers held upright in a glass of water to try and produce my own slips. Overall the cost from T & M is a bit prohibitive for the crop that I got. The 5 plants at the allotment produced 2 blue mushroom trays of tubers although as I said there were a lot of stringy ones in the crop.

[Digeroo]

If it possible to keep some to slip next year, then the T&M cost can be spread over several years so is not so bad.

[Jayb]

They look wonderful 
Well done you 

[artichoke]

I have grown good sweet potatoes in past warm years from a daughter's sprouting one left neglected on a high shelf...... but eventually lost them. You can cut off the tips of stems in autumn and root them like mint which I did, cannot remember how I eventually failed.

Bought some more this year, quite expensive, and stupidly put them among my climbing beans where they sulked in the shade. Eventually I dug them up, surprised to see a few  "witch's fingers", took cuttings to put in water and now have about 10 plants hoping to survive until late May, when I will give them their own climbing frame to flourish in the sun with their lovely purple flowers.

Unexpectedly, the rooted cuttings are doing better at the moment than the original plants.....but they all seem to be surviving.

[galina]

I have grown good sweet potatoes in past warm years from a daughter's sprouting one left neglected on a high shelf...... but eventually lost them. You can cut off the tips of stems in autumn and root them like mint which I did, cannot remember how I eventually failed.


Unexpectedly, the rooted cuttings are doing better at the moment than the original plants.....but they all seem to be surviving.

You can get named varieties, especially in the organic bags in the supermarket.  I have accidentally produced and then rooted my own slips from a commercial one that had been left around in a plastic bag, then repeated this by washing a sweet potato, putting it in a freezer bag and leaving it in the airing cupboard (adding a little splash of water now and then).  They sprouted and the original sweet potato was still good to eat.  Nothing lost.  Except that I have never managed a good harvest here.  If I'd do it again, I would sprout them very early to make good growth before they get planted out.  Georgia Jet and Covington are early varieties that can be found in supermarkets.  And seeing your success, pumpkinlover, does inspire me to try again.   

[lezelle]

Hi Ya, well done. I have been unsuccessful for 3 years and was for giving up but reading another post and seeing your results has got me on my metal again. To get your success did you grow out side or in tubs. I am trying something different again this year. Good gardening

[pumkinlover]

I grew in the greenhouse in the soil but listening to Bob Fowerdew he was suggesting using tubs . I plan to use tubs in the greenhouse and also keeping the foliage off the compost which was something I forgot to do this year. Oh and pinching out long shoots! Success  guaranteed! Good luck with yours.

[lottie lou]

DRAT!!  Something I have to have another go at now 

[goodlife]

I grew in the greenhouse in the soil but listening to Bob Fowerdew he was suggesting using tubs . I plan to use tubs in the greenhouse and also keeping the foliage off the compost which was something I forgot to do this year. Oh and pinching out long shoots! Success  guaranteed! Good luck with yours.

Ah...another one who talks about pinching...and that's where I've gone wrong, thinking 'more top growth..bigger roots...more/bigger tubers'....sounds like it aint so

[pumkinlover]

I never did the pinching out bit but I have heard about it. So I do not know if helps might try with some plants next year not all.The success guaranteed was a bit tongue in cheek! 

[saddad]

Well done, I didn't grow them this year... but have used  T+M slips before with good results...... 

[pumkinlover]

I would like to save money by using SM ones but wonder if they are suited to our climate. Just dug some more up out of the greenhouse!
  Hi Saddad nice to see you posting!