I actually got a nice size crop from the one sweet potato I planted earlier this year. I am so excited. Next time I will definitely plant more than just one.
I Got Sweet Potatoes!
Congrats on your taters!! I have never planted potatoes before but would love to give it a try. For some reason I have heard from more than one person planting their potatoes in old tires? I'd prefer making some sort of raised bed. It looks like you just planted yours in the ground and let em' grow?
I planted one potato directly in the ground. No I am learning that in that bed I could have planted ten potatoes, but I didn't know that. A gardner in my community garden dug up some sweet potatoes she grew and gave one to me, I split it in half and planted it.
That's awesome, coming from just one 'tater!
Thanks D, now imaging if I had planted 10! I would have sweet potatoes to last all winter!
What I have now will only be enough for 2 pies.
Congrats on your haul! : ) For one potatoe and giving it a try, ya did real good. Them pies will be ever more special cuz ya grew them yourself. : )
Thanks Starlight! The pies sure are special, I took pic of those too...lol.
I had my first set of SPs this past year -- I sprouted the SP in a jar of water and stuck the slips in a 2x6 raised bed. This spring I will plant probably 4 raised beds of them, now that I know that they actually will grow when you stick the slip in the dirt!
wow! 4 Beds, I wish I could grow 4 beds of sweet potatoes. They are my favorite.
Hi I have wanted to raise some but was told that it takes certain types of sandy soil.
Would you tell us what kind of soil you planted yours in? Thanks. Merry Christmas and a successful New Year.
Mine is not particularly sandy. The soil here is, but the raised bed was a combination of purchased dirt (Miracle Gro SAYS it's organic but I ain't betting a paycheck on it), some used garden soil, and compost. Here are a few that came out of it.
Those are beauties, I may have to give them a try. I've heard some people grow potatoes in large plastic trash cans and keep adding soil till the can is full.
My soils isn't particularly sandy either. I just used the soil that was already in my spot (I'm in a community garden) and added a lot of composted horse manure which is given to us free in the garden.
I grew my first sweeties this year, too! :) Here's a pic with some other things I grew.
I named my blog after them 'cause it's said to be self sufficient in Houston sweet potatoes would be your main food crop. I LOVE THEM. :-)
http://muddysweetpotato.blogspot.com
This message was edited Dec 20, 2008 12:56 PM
I am wanting input I have almost an acre but being disabled, I have a hard time working it I have some grow boxes that I use. I am considering having a community garden for those that would enjoy making one, I am concerned about some one getting hurt
I am low income and don't want to be sued. What do you think? I could do it, I get so tired of weeds and it would look so pretty.
Marcia, ask your insurance agent what coverage your homeowner's insurance has about that, and get participating gardeners to sign a release. Since you are not selling anything, it would not be considered a business by the insurance.
Sounds like a good idea... go for it!
Thank You for your ideas I will do that. Any more input or ideas will be appreciated.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE
Marcia:
A community garden is subsidised by the Governement so you don't have to worry about getting sued if you properly set it up.
How is that and how do I check into it, Thank you
Marcia,
I would find another community that has a garden program and ask them questions. My husband and I held free summer garden funshops for local kids and my insurance agent said if we did not have more than 5 kids ata time it was covered under our homeowners. Also there are "release from liability" forms on some of the legal websites that you can use, but you may also want to consult with a lawyer. Hope it works out for you.
I WANT SPRING
I And A LOT OF other people here in Spokane are snowed in they are canceling school tomorrow because of more coming tonight BOO HOO Here is a picture of my front yard
That is A LOT of white ya got there!
That looks so beautiful!
This is a picture out the front door
When I was younger I enjoyed the snow I would take my boys sleding now I am disabled and walking in it is hard. Here is a picture of my sons now.
patatoes are easy to grow just buy a few of what ever kind you want to grow and put them in a cool dark place like in the basement they will start to sprout in about five weeks so when it is time to plant a few days before bring them out cut into sections with a sprout on each one and use bulb powder on the cuts them let dry for a couple of days then plant with sprout up about two inches of soil on top and you can grow any kind of tatars you want
I want sweet potatoes! Is this an ok time to plant them? Will they grow in our hot weather?
Thanks for this thread, Kanita. I wanted to start my veg bed, and was wondering what to plant.
KaperC, I think now would be a good time for you to plant, and I am under the impression they'll grow fine there.
This is the way I start them. I cut a sweet potato in half and stick 3 toothpicks in each half so I can let it "sit" in a jar of water. It will take a while, but shoots will start to grow out of it. When the shoots (or slips) are about 5 - 6" long, pop them off the potato and stick them in the garden, maybe 2" into the ground. Water them consistently. They'll take root, and eventually you will see sweet potatoes like little bitty whales breaching all over the ground. Pull 'em up and eat 'em.
There are other methods, but that one works for me.
Thanks, Brigidlily.
Do you put the cut end in the water? I know we did this in school, but it's too long ago to remember!
So the 'slips' are the sprouts? When you cut them off, do you leave any potato attached?
Thank you all for this thread. I've wanted to learn how to grow sweet potatoes. Ditto on the last comment. I don't understand what to do once the little slips are growing in a jar? I'd be afraid to snap one off and put it in the dirt. I'd be afraid it would die.
For Darla Cooper: I grew potatoes in a trash can last year and had a good enough experience to try it again. I didn't have straw, which is what I will use this year to mound up over the potato shoots. I had Miracle Grow, so I used that. I think the extra fertilizer caused wonderful, big, green leaves, but the plant put its energy there rather than potatoes. Doccat5 gave me some advice on this somewhere on this site and recommended straw.
I'm new at all vegetable gardening, so am learning a lot.
I'm also a Spokane-ite, and was so glad to get a shovel in a patch of dirt by my house today! (With about a foot of snow not far away)
Thanks everyone!
I plan on using leaves to mound up with. I don't have any straw. So I'll give the leaves a try. I think I'll try the sweet potatoes as well. First I have to get my raised beds constructed! lol
Yes, you put the cut end into the water. You don't cut the slips off, you pull them off and they just snap away from the potato. And believe me I cried when I stuck those slips in the dirt, fearing they'd just wither up and die. But I watered them every day (had them in a raised bed) and they rooted and you see the partial result above. I had a 2x6 raised bed planted with them, and I believe I got two or three dozen SPs. Not enough to carry a family over the winter, but not bad for my first try.
I never did it that way. I just left the whole sweet potato in the dark to sprout and then cut them in half and planted them.
I wonder if leaving the potato intact contributes moisture and food to keep the slip growing? I have two potatoes, so I can do one of each!
Thanks to you both.
P.S. Kanita, we're having a RoundUp next month if you can make it.
actually you only need one eye to start a plant so if you put a few patatoes in a dark cool place it will form eyes and when you are about ready to plant cut up the patatoe to have one two eyes on each section use bulb powder on the cuts let dry for a few days till cut is no longer wet and plant cover with about two inches of soil and watch it grow
I was raised on a patatoes farm lol