I personally would not know about the blossoms thing. Sounds to me that yours sure didn't.
This is only my 2nd year growing them. I just love watching them grow.
Here's a photo. I planted the majority 6/06 and the others on 6/20.
Growing sweet potatoes in northern New England
honestly i don't know that they need to.. i just wait till after they do. someone somewhere mentioned it to me - don't know the importance of it.
I know that calalily and dddal meant no harm in their posts, but seeing their sweet potatoes growing like weeds does hurt. I would take a picture of mine, but I'd need a magnifying lens for you to see them. Say what you want, there's a serious advantage in having a longer and warmer growing season.
But, we have better apples up here. And better Fall foliage. But, you guys do have the edge with sweet potatoes, and probably don't worry about an early frost.
jhwentworth, sorry to hurt your feelings with the photo. I cut those back a couple of weeks ago because they were taking over the garden. They're back across the rows again. I will plant them where they have more room next time.
We can't grow apples here and I love fresh apples in the fall.
jhwentworth, I'm soooo sorry. I know how you feel, I have a cousin calling daily about his yield on regular potatoes (since my didn't do so well). There's a little competition going on. I did beat him on onions though. He only live 20 miles south of me, he had a lot more rain or maybe he just better at growing potatoes. Shhh, don't tell him I said that. LOL
I am in zone 5a or 5b I never have figured out which. The credit of these sweetpotatoes in my opinion, go to the slips that I buy. I didn't send you pictures of the 2 that lived out of 16 from another vendor, they had been in the ground 3 weeks prior to the ones in the photo.
Don't give up on growing sp. If you feel like spending the money on the cover you will be able to extend your season. Next year, do your black plastic and keep the faith.
I'm sure you have lots of stuff growing that I would be very jealous of. I haven't even heard from my apple guy. I do worry about an early frost. Had a problem with the same vendor on tomatoes and had to replant. So lots and lots of green ones.
The weather has been so weird, but it does keep us gardeners on our toes.
Have a great day,
Donna
MY race with the clock doesn't appear to be going well; we hit 39° this morning. You could almost hear the garden screeching to a halt about 6 o'clock this morning.
I'm moving to plan "B" on the sweet potatoes. It seems I'm doomed on the plants in the garden, but please remember that I planted a few SPs in large pots for decorative purposes. I happen to have a fair-sized greenhouse, with propane heater, where those pots can be placed in a growing season that lasts as long as I've got the means to pay the gas bill. I'll merely redefine "victory" and then declare it. Gardening, like much of life, sometimes requires flexibility in definitions.
I'm very optimistic that you will have your victory. I love a person that fights the odds and finds a way to overcome the challenges that gardening and life throws at us.
Good luck,
Donna
jhwentworth
you can grow much better Regular poatoes up there then down here next year try Growing some Kadains and Some Green Mountains you will get pleaty of big taters for reds id Grow Red Norlands Paul
Hey Paul, I do grow the Norland reds and had very good results last year. This year; not so much. A couple years ago I raised both Kennebec and Green Mountain, and the Kennebec was the winner. I believe we just ran into a very unusual summer, or should I say a non-summer.
dddal: Like I said, if I get to define victory, I figure I have a pretty good chance of achieving it.
More specific to the thread: The SP vines are still only a couple feet long, but are changing to a purple color. I'm thinking that the plants figure that winter is coming on; does that sound right? BTW, the plants might be right.
I use to live in Exeter NH not much luck growing sweet taters there tho paul
jhwentworth, that's the way I figure it. If I see that I can't get what I want I just change my mind.
Donna
sweet potatoes are grown in canada, we just had a rough year in new england with only two weeks of actual summer.... I will try to find out what variety they grow up top.
The season's final update: We had a hard frost (31°) on Sunday morning and the garden is looking pretty sad. I dug up the sweet potato plants to see what had developed, and salvaged about dozen potatoes, none more than about 4" long. Many of the plants had no potatoes at all. The potatoes in pots are now in the greenhouse and it will be interesting to see what happens. At the very least I hope I get enough potatoes to grow slips as Paul Hicks suggested.
Oh well, wait 'til next year.
jhwentworth - You should be pleased with your effort, though. Let us know how those taters you salvaged taste. I applaud you for thinking outside the box and just going for it. I'm the say way. You never know until you try.
I love love love sweet potatoes and am eagerly awaiting my little harvest to see what I get. We really don't have frost to speak of, so I'm letting them grow until it gets cool or I need the bed space - whichever comes first...
Next year will be better . . .
Kelly
ill dig mine up in Dec========== Paul
this is a good site has a thred about tatters white and sweet ===== paul http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=10356