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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Tora on October 08, 2007, 17:54:09

Title: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 08, 2007, 17:54:09
(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z274/HiromiArkless/15b45464.jpg)

I found this in my row of sweet potatoes. ;D It's about 4cm wide and 10cm long. Will it become any bigger if I leave it in the soil? ???
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Kea on October 08, 2007, 18:13:45
I hope I've got one like that I'd be delighted. Maybe i should be digging them up now too.
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: star on October 08, 2007, 18:23:56
That looks great Tora, mine were rubbish. Only as thick as pencils :'(
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Kea on October 08, 2007, 18:25:27
Like the one I dug up I thought might be usefull at Halloween for 'witches finger's' probably in place of pumpkins :(
 
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: manicscousers on October 08, 2007, 19:53:08
still not dug ours up, saddad said they put weight on towards the end , hope so, yours looks good  :)
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: artichoke on October 09, 2007, 10:23:03
I know we're supposed to wait as long as we can bear it, but just had to dig one up recently, and it had 2 roots like Tora's, so I'm thrilled, as it's my first successful attempt. Roasted them with some ordinary potatoes and they were lovely. I grew them from my daughter's sweet potato that was shrivelling and sprouting and about to be thrown away in spring 2006.

The first season I planted the rooted sprouts out nothing much happened except 10 bushy little plants. I overwintered them in pots on a windowsill and planted them out again in late May, and thy have shot away up some poles I set for them (next to the gigandes!). The flowers are surprisingly pretty, too.

I wonder if anyone knows if we could cut off bits of these plants and root them in water for next year?

Or cut the plants down, remove the potatoes, and pot up the plants indoors for next year? I don't want another 2 year delay.

Another thing that surprised me is how deep down the potatoes were, vertical in the soil.
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 09, 2007, 15:49:14
Thanks all, I'm well chuffed. I didn't think I would get any. ;D

Artichoke, my sweetpotato in the pic is grown from a slip taken last year too. Variety is unknown, a white-fleshed tuber bought from either ASDA or Indian shop. I also have Kumara, which was grown from a tuber bought this spring. I planted all plants more or less at the same time. I really hope I get some Kumara as well.

Regarding saving plants, I heard you can take cuttings (they should root easily in a glass of water). The kumara tuber I took slips from is still producing slips so I'm going to pot them up to overwinter too. :)
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Kea on October 09, 2007, 16:34:41
Good perhaps I didn't dig deep enough, I only dug one plant so maybe there's still hope. Just watching the weather and temperatures to leave them as long as possible.
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: saddad on October 09, 2007, 18:12:36
Still waiting on mine... we have a group round on Sunday and there isn't much else to see so The SP's can wait...
 ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: miniroots on October 10, 2007, 07:31:01
Oh good.

I've got a few slips growing in a cupboard in the kitchen (quite by accident!) - if I pot them up over winter where should I keep them?
It can get pretty cold in the house over winter - will they cope with the fluctuating temperatures?
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Suffolklad on October 10, 2007, 07:47:28
Sweet potatoes are one of the things I really want to grow in my new polytunnel next year.
Do I have to buy seed though ?
I'm sure I read somewhere that I can just buy supermarket ones and plant them.....or do I have to grow slips from them and root those ?
I can't find much about them in my books.
I believe they are climbing plants so I'll have to provide support ?
How early can I plant them in a poly ?

So many questions.....
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: artichoke on October 10, 2007, 13:38:09
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,28535.0

This is one of many threads on the subject! It explains all about not planting the potato, but planting little shoots from the potato and how to treat them.

I made mine climb to save space, but they can sprawl instead. They are just a sort of bindweed really....
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: star on October 10, 2007, 18:07:51
Yes they can sprawl on the ground too. Apparantly they will root along the stem into the ground, and produce loads of sweet potatoes, but are much smaller than if trained to climb.........cant be much smaller than mine this year lol ::)

I will try again though ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Suffolklad on October 10, 2007, 18:39:44
Thanks for the link artichoke - very interesting !
As I will be planting them out in a polytunnel, it's probably worth my while getting some started earlier
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: manicscousers on October 10, 2007, 21:06:59
I've been stopping myself but, tomorrow, one of the plants is coming up, we have 7 so I can't contain my curiousity any longer  ;D
wish me luck  ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 11, 2007, 12:04:17
Good luck, manics. 8) Don't forget a camera to shoot your 'harvesting session'. ;) I'm going to dig some up soon too.  ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: artichoke on October 11, 2007, 13:00:31
I have cut off thetips of my plants and put them into a jug of water, where hopefully they will root....
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: manicscousers on October 11, 2007, 16:52:33
think I'll leave the rest until frost is forecast, this is the 'crop' from 1
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 12, 2007, 15:57:08
Wow, they look brilliant! 8) I will be happy if I get that many from one plant. :) Since there's no frost forecast (lots of rain instead! :-\) I'm resisting the temptation and leaving it for a bit longer too.
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: saddad on October 12, 2007, 16:20:23
Same here Tora but I might have to firkle one out on Sunday!
 ::)
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Kea on October 15, 2007, 17:58:12
I dug up most of mine today.....and I've only got witches fingers. :'(
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: mc55 on October 15, 2007, 19:08:38
I'm waiting as long as I can ...
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: cornykev on October 15, 2007, 20:17:22
Well done the Scousers ;), mine are still in small pots at the bottom the garden :'(, I had forgot about them they still look healthy but I don't suppose I can do anything with them now ???.  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 16, 2007, 10:15:07
I checked again on Sunday and found another one, about the same size (4x10cm). ;D I didn't harvest them though, as the leaves looked healthy and it's been quite warm. I'm going to wait as long as I can too. Have you harvested any, saddad?
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 18, 2007, 13:15:42
(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z274/HiromiArkless/4cc960a0.jpg)

Got this much from three plants but many had tiny holes in them. Not sure what did it - woodlice, worms or slug. They are all unknown white-fleshed variety. I firkled Kumara but found only tiny tubers. :-\
It was really difficult to dig, all the tubers were growing vertically and were located quite deep in the ground.
I think I'll steam a few for my supper tonight. :P

Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: mc55 on October 18, 2007, 20:30:32
darn, there was a frost here last night and forecast again tonight  :'(
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: mc55 on October 18, 2007, 20:31:39
oops, Tora, meant to say they look pretty good.  Last year mine had lots of critter damage guess its because they are so tasty
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 20, 2007, 16:27:35
Thanks mc.  :) I had some steamed and they were gorgeous! Really moist and completely different from ones from supermarket. ;D

Now I've dug them all up, after the first frost, and this is my harvest of Kumara.
(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z274/HiromiArkless/47fe6071.jpg)
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: manicscousers on October 20, 2007, 18:12:14
good grief, Tora, how many plants was that from ?
I agree about the taste, though, we fed everyone with roasted sweet potatoes, yum   :P ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 20, 2007, 19:48:14
 ;D I can't remember how many I planted but I guess it was about 15 plants. All slips were taken from one tuber as well. They were planted in a slightly raised bed, measuring about 0.5m x 3m. I have clay soil so I incorporated a couple of bags of sharp sand before planting.
OH suggested making SP curry but I think these are too good for making curry! :D I think I'll roast them next time. Also want to make some puddings with them too.  :P
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Garjan on October 21, 2007, 09:14:29
Hi Tora
They look great! Well done.
I'm glad you said that they were very deep down. I felt around the plants yesterday and there was nothing there. I'll try again and hope to be as lucky as you.
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: star on October 21, 2007, 11:18:07
Nice haul Tora,

Mine were rubbish, I'll add sharp sand next time. Did you grow them outside?

 
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 21, 2007, 20:28:48
Thank you both. :) Yes, they were very deep and difficult to dig up! They were really brittle as well so you need to be careful not to damage them while digging (I snapped quite a lot ::)).
Yes, I grew them outside and they looked quite happy even when it wasn't very warm.
I left some stones in the bed (not on purpose!) before planting and that caused curvy tubers, which were difficult to dig out... so remove stones and add plenty of sharp sand if you have heavy clay like me. :)
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Barnowl on October 22, 2007, 13:01:10
But get them in on time  - left mine much too late! Massive root system but nothing else.
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Kea on October 22, 2007, 16:46:55
Wow that's a great crop ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: artichoke on October 22, 2007, 18:09:08
We've had our first frost, and the foliage withered completely, so I've dug them up and am very pleased. Sorry I don't do photos yet, but rather like Tora's crop. Some nice big fat ones and a lot of smaller ones and witches' fingers that I plan to boil and mash, or fry whole in butter until soft!

I picked foliage tips a week ago, and they are rooting nicely in a jug of water indoors. I haven't got a greenhouse, but I hope to get away with pots on windowsills and not too many complaints from family.

I have saved the roots (ie the plants, cut back) and plan to keep them in compost in a frostfree place, for replanting next year, like dahlias (apparently you can do this with runner beans, french beans etc, though I haven't, yet).

I agree that they seem to need a long growing season, so I will put them out as early as I dare next May, under protection. Mine had mid-May to late October, this year, outside with no protection but canes to grow up to save space.

I am going to try to store the bigger ones for a bit; I believe they need to be exposed to dry warmth for a bit to harden up.
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: newbies on October 23, 2007, 12:51:37
Hi All,
I've read this thread with great interest, and also the link.  I just have one question.  I understand that you can now harvest these beauties, but when do you start the process of putting them in jars to make slips, is it now, or early spring?  Don't want to start too early, and end up with monsters on my window sill!

Cheers
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: antipodes on October 23, 2007, 14:48:12
how much room do you need to give them? Like a normal potato??
I think I might try a few out of curiosity next year (I believe you start them off in February and plant them out in April?? if the weather is ok)
They are EXTRA NICE sliced wafer thin and made into crisps!!! (it's a bit naughty though)
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 24, 2007, 14:27:28
Artichoke, I'm glad to hear you had a good crop as well. I read on GYO magazine they keep 10 days and am a bit worried that they might go off soon. I saved some plants and slips too - already looking forward to next season. :)

Hi newbies. :) You can start the process of putting tubers in jars to produce slips whenever it's warm enough, as long as you can keep the tuber and slips in a warm place until the planting time after frost, which is usually May in my area. I planted both overwintered slips (about a year old) and ones that were produced in March~April (1~2 months old) at the same time and both gave me a good crop.

Antipodes, you don't need a big space to grow sweet potatoes. I had only 0.5x3m bed for them and had a good yield. The tubers tend to grow vertically and deep in the soil so I think the soil should be nice and deep (ideally raised bed). I also heard SP hate overly rich soil. They produce more tubers in poor soils. You get lots of lush leaves and no tuber if the soil is too rich. Yes, you can start off indoors and plant them out after the last frost. I must make that naughty SP crisps....! :P
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: artichoke on October 24, 2007, 18:21:48
"Sweet potatoes are not very sweet or moist when first dug. It takes six to eight weeks of proper curing and storage before they have the sweet, moist taste and texture desired when baked"

"Cure sweet potatoes by holding them for about 10 days at 80-85°F and high relative humidity (85-90 percent). In the absence of better facilities, they can be cured near a furnace to provide warmth. If the temperature near your furnace is between 65-75°F, the curing period should last 2-3 weeks. To maintain the required high humidity (85-90 percent relative humidity), stack storage crates or boxes and cover them with paper or heavy cloth. Packing in perforated plastic bags will also keep humidity high, yet the perforations will allow excess moisture to escape.

Once the sweet potatoes are cured, move them to a dark location where a temperature of about 55-60°F can be maintained during storage. Sweet potatoes are subject to chilling injury, so keep them out of the refrigerator. Outdoor pits are not recommended for storage because the dampness encourages decay. Good results can be obtained by wrapping cured sweet potatoes in newspaper and storing them in a cool closet."

These are two bits of info I came across when googling "curing sweet potatoes". Mine are currently gently washed and dried and in the airing cupboard, but I don't think I am going to achieve humidity. I had no idea SPs were not sweet when first dug up, and I was a little disappointed with my first tasting.

I have far too many to eat straight away, so this curing and keeping had better work.....
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Tora on October 27, 2007, 18:27:27
Thanks Artichoke for the information on curing process. :) I haven't done anything like curing yet (they are in my kitchen) but they look fine so far. I'm going to cook them in the same way again and see if the flavour has changed at all. :P

Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: saddad on October 27, 2007, 23:55:28
As regards space Antipodes... they will climb, are related to Morning Glory...
I'm just back from Bordeaux, after a 800+ drive and will be having a look at mine tomorrow... from the big greenhouse!
Hope I have enough to need to cure them!
 ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Suffolklad on October 29, 2007, 18:25:07
I'll be growing some in my polytunnel next year, so that I get a nice long season.
How early can I start trying to grow slips ?
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Suffolklad on November 02, 2007, 12:12:44
No idea anybody ?   :(
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: manicscousers on November 02, 2007, 12:39:34
sorry, suffolklad, there was a whole thread on these, maybe search will come up with some ideas, we start ours off in january  ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: star on November 02, 2007, 12:40:54
I started mine off in early spring, put sweet potato tuber either into a glass of water supported by 3 coktail sticks, Like you would for an avacodo.

Or....place tuber in damp compost in a propagator. The slips will grow from dormant buds, when they are 4 or 5 ins long twist off and place in water to root.

After they've rooted pot up, grow on, harden off a bit, plant in polytunnel or g'house.

I used the compost method after the water one failed, and got all my slips off one tuber, the others rotted so keep an eye on them. They took a few weeks to show ;)

Hope this helps SL
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: star on November 02, 2007, 12:43:05
oBVIOUSLY i DIDNT SEARCH FOR THE INFO......(CAPS LOCK AGAIN...BAH >:() But I should have known better. you'll find all the info you need on that thread SL ;)
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: Suffolklad on November 02, 2007, 13:07:38
we start ours off in january  ;D

Thanks - is that for planting outdoors, or in a tunnel/greenhouse?

What I'm getting at is that I can probably plant mine out in the tunnel maybe as early as the end of March.
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: star on November 02, 2007, 13:12:12
As long as they dont get cold....they dont like the cold.

I hope you have more success than I did. I guess you will as mine were outside ;)
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: manicscousers on November 02, 2007, 13:55:19
we started ours out on the living room windowsill, the slips went into the poly end of april, protected by a bit of fleece if necessary, thing is, we didn't need the fleece this year, next may be different  ;D
Title: Re: Sweet Potato
Post by: saddad on November 02, 2007, 13:58:55
Last year mine didn't get into the ground until July!!!! and I got a monster from where I had watered during that very Dry Month! this year got them in at the start of June and haven't dug them out yet!
 ::)
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