Sweet Potatoes

[caz 406]

I'm expecting delivery of 20 sweet potato slips from T+M any day now. Have never grown them before. Have read they are best planted through black plastic. Has anyone else grown them? Any suggestions gratefully received please... :)

[caz 406]

[waggi]

i have never grown them but want to next year can you keep us updated with your progress
please ;D

[caz 406]

At last my 20 sweet potato slips have arrived from T&M today  ;D There is a an instruction leaflet saying best to plant through black polythene. Can't get to lottie until Monday so any useful info or advice would be welcome please..... :)

[Anne Robertson]

Mine from T&M haven't arrived yet, so I shall keep my fingers crossed that they arrive after the bank holiday. never grown them before either so can't give any advice. Good luck though. :)

[caz 406]

Well have just come back from putting them in. Have taken photo but can't find camera lead to upload it....
They look quite pathetic little things so fingers crossed they will be ok.
Ani - have to let me know how yours look when you get them, be good to compare notes  :)

[Anne Robertson]

Will do, when /if they ever arrive! Excuse my ignorance but I thought they would look just like  a sweet potato, I obviously didn't do enough research before I ordered them ???

[caz 406]

Must admit I didn't know what they would look like either ::) ;D. They are just a stem with a few little roots and a couple of leaves. About  6-8 inches long altogether. They came on Friday in a cardboard box through the normal post. When I opened it they looked really sick - very limp. They were just wrapped in a plastic bag inside the box. We were going away for the weekend so I left them in water until today and they had perked up quite a bit.
I hadn't got any black polythene but had got a big roll of black anti-weed fabric so I've planted them through that....hope it will be sufficient  :-\
Oh well, it's all a big experiment  ;D

[Anne Robertson]

still no sweet potatoes from T&M :'(

[caz 406]

I should chase them on  Mon if you still haven't had them. Some of mine are looking a bit sick. The slugs are all over them and it looks like the pigeons have had a go at them too! Have been watering them like mad but they look quite pathetic still  ???
Apparenly there is an article in the new Gardeners World magazine about them - will have a look when I visit the parents tomorrow.

[annieb]

I enjoy 'pushing the envelope' about what I can grow in our zone 8 gardens up here, and am following your sagas about the sweet potatoes with interest.  They're tropical plants, like taro and yams... and I'm really impressed that they're growing at ALL for you guys! You give me hope =)

I wonder if possibly they'd do better under black plastic in your greenhouses?  I'm not surprised the slugs and pigeons are having a field day on them though.. they've probably never seen such a sumptuous banquet, the thieving little sods!! =(

Keep posting about it though please, I am very interested and you're all inspiring me to try things I've never thought of trying before.  I developed a real taste for sweet potatoes when I lived in America...candied/caramelised with demerara sugar, they're a staple of American Thanksgiving dinner =) (yum yum yum).

Annie in Norway

[Anne Robertson]

when and if mine arrive I think I will try some under black plastic and some under weed control fabric. Unfortunatley I don't have a greenhouse so thats not an option.
I'll keep posting on progress (or lack of it!) :(

[glynthered]

There is a great recipe in weightwatchers.co.uk for spinach and potato soup. I substitute sweet potato for the ordinary ones and it is gorgous. Popeye would love it. If you cant get into bthe site I can always try to put it on here. :)

[Anne Robertson]

Thanks Glyn, I'll try that when I'm inundated with sweet potatoes. ;D (got to be positive)

[Anne Robertson]

Still no sweet potatoes despite 3 phone calls >:(

[mitzzy]

i have nice recipe for  African sweet potatoe  curry :)


thought about growing them myself but I reckon Fife is too cold



Mags

[westsussexlottie]

I grew mine from a sweet potato from the supermarket - couldn't afford the prices of the slips.
Put it in a bag of wet vermiculite and kept it very moist.
I now have 8 "slips" which I have rooted in compost which are each about 20cm long and it has only cost me the price of a single sweet potato and they aren't droopy - they look quite happy.
I will let you know what the crop is like - I am planting them in barrels in a South facing garden rather than on the lottie.

[Anne Robertson]

Hip hip hooray ;D ;D my S P slips arrived today.
Having no idea what they are meant to looK like, to me these appear ok with several leaves each and only a touch droopy. There again so would I be if I'd travelled in a cardboard box half way across Britain :)

Unfortunately having read the instructions I'm still in the dark as to where the potato grows from. Do I just get one SP per slip or do quite a few grow off each root?

Can I grow them in a builders sack? How many?

mitzzy, is your recipe on the recipe forum?

[mitzzy]

I think I did post it there  :)


It really yummy :)



mags

[westsussexlottie]

You should get a few per root - but they will not be as large as the supermarket ones. Frost will kill plants off but they need a very long hot season to do well.
I am growing in barrels so I guess large rubble sacks will be OK. Don't forget the plants are like morning glory - they grow fast and will need supporting with canes or similar.

[Anne Robertson]

caz 406, have you taken a piccy yet of your sweet potatoes? Mine have arrived but I'm not sure where to put them.  ???
Looking on the web it looks as if they are grown in rows.
It was mentioned on here that they need support, but looking at pics there didn't seem to be any.
need to plant tomorrow so any suggestions would be welcomed :)