Question for tiG (&/or others)

Do I remember from last year that you saved the tubers from the Blackie sweet potato vine? Will you post how, and what you did with it for the following year?
Thanks!

Darius, I am glad to see your post here. I was wondering the same thing and didn't know who to ask. Nat

Darius, I did a search and found the following instructionshttp://www.uaex.edu/arkansas/Mastergardeners/newsletters/2002/html/MGarkansas08.asp

Thanks, Nat, for the link. However, that doesn't sound like what I remember that tiG did. We may have 2 options, LOL!

I dig mine, dry a few days, and keep in a cool sort of dark place.. I use a paper sack..I usually get mine started after the 1st of the year in soil in front of a sunny window..I have good sized plants by the time they go outside.. Usually March, for me..
Larkie

I also take lots of cuttings from all my plants and just stick into a bucket of water..Change the water every now and then, they root in a few days.. By spring they are a tangled web of roots..Then I have enought for all my SIL's, and other family that always want some, lol

This message was edited Sep 17, 2003 3:37 PM

Thanks, Larkie.

I knew you could root the cuttings but I don't want to overwinter them in my basement this year.

Larkie, What do you do with your tubers in the spring? Do you plant them in dirt or put the tubers in water?

darius, I just dug mine, didn't wash them or anything. I kept them in a pretty cool room over the winter and then put them over glasses of water in the spring and rooted each sprout from the eyes.

Oh and they WILL sprout. I didn't get around to planting mine this spring and I'm STILL getting sprouts.

Thanks, everyone. tiG, I thought I remembered something about cutting slips from the tubers. Must have been another Senior Moment, LOL.

darius, once the eye sprouts, I just pop it off, with or without a tiny piece of potato, put in water for a couple of days and then it's ready for soil. you can get almost 50 or even more sprouts from one potato if you leave it on the jar long enough.

Ahhh, THAT's what I was remembering! Thanks!

Wow, glad I din't miss this one!
Thanks all!

Glad for the help on this one. Thanks guys for the advice.

Sweet potatoe growers are sweet potatoes likely or not able to mature in WASH STATE?.

My family is from Miss and my dad said for years he should try to grow some here.

I saw some seed advertised for the north? Anyway the soil is sandy loam water is no problem our last frost is may 1 - 15 and the temp is what you would call cool

Oh Tig, are you still watching this thread? I hope so.

I read what you said above, but I still have a few questions.

My tubers are as big as small footballs and they are all rising above the ground now. I want to dig them up and make some more for friends then plant mine back into the soil again.

So, can I cut the tubers up into a little smaller pieces, and then try to root them in water with toothpicks to hold them half in the water? Or, do I just dig them up and wait until I see some eyes protruding, then cut them up to root.

Any help would be very appreciated.

Donna

I don't see why you couldn't dig them up now. As for cutting them, I'm just really not sure Donna. I used them whole.

And you don't cut off chunks of potato to pot up. You snap off the shoots and put them in their own water until THEY root and then pot up the little plants. I dunno if it'd work with the potato attached or not. *shrug*

Thanks, both of you. I will do my best then.

Donna

Well, I went out last night to pull up my dead annuals and the Blackie was one of them. I didn't intend on saving the potatoes this year and we had a hard freeze last night. I reached in and pulled up this half rotten tuber that was literally the size of my head! I've NEVER seen one this big! I guess it was all that rain this year???

Wow Angie. I never thought these could get tubers that big!

I grew some 'Margurite' (spelled right?) this year in a pot. I was expecting some 'taters' when I dug them up. I had some thick roots, but no taters. I saved em anyway. I guess I have nothing to lose?

Well the thick roots were all I thought I had too until i dug down deeper and Yowsa! what the heck is that?! lol