Success with the sweet potato

[IcyBC]

Good looking sweet potato, @grouie ! My soil is mostly clay so this won't work in my garden! Maybe I try growing it in a big container next year.

 

[grouie]

Good looking sweet potato, @grouie ! My soil is mostly clay so this won't work in my garden! Maybe I try growing it in a big container next year.

If you can get some sand you can mix it with your clay soil

 

[Arielphf]

I had pretty good luck with them in my garden (quite heavy clay) but they really do need hot weather to grow happily. I had a fair crop last year, but got a lot of tiny tubers (we had a pretty cool summer).

The thing to know about sweet potatoes is how to treat them after you've dug them up. My first year was a learning experience in keeping the skins intact - even the slightest scrape can cause problems. I also didn't have a good place to put them while they cured. Now I've got my greenhouse, that would be an ideal place to do it, but I didn't plant any this year. It's been fairly cool and wet again, so that's probably a good thing.

 

[DeborahJane]

We have 2 colors of sweet potato In Australia, white and orange and it is also known as kumera, the orange seems to be the most readily available.
My neighbor grows ordinary potatoes easily do maybe I could give the sweet potato a try. I'll try your method Grouie. Thanks for the tip
I really like it. I buy it most weeks and roast it, steam it, mash it, soup it, curry it, fry it as wedges. I've bought it as a dip too but I must try making it myself, maybe with ricotta and Cajun spices. Any ideas?

 

[grouie]

I had pretty good luck with them in my garden (quite heavy clay) but they really do need hot weather to grow happily. I had a fair crop last year, but got a lot of tiny tubers (we had a pretty cool summer).

The thing to know about sweet potatoes is how to treat them after you've dug them up. My first year was a learning experience in keeping the skins intact - even the slightest scrape can cause problems. I also didn't have a good place to put them while they cured. Now I've got my greenhouse, that would be an ideal place to do it, but I didn't plant any this year. It's been fairly cool and wet again, so that's probably a good thing.

Here in India because of the long season they grow very well. I have the mongoose problem and that is why I tried growing it in a pot and I saw success. But I have already planted it on the ground but shall keep a vigil.

 

[grouie]

We have 2 colors of sweet potato In Australia, white and orange and it is also known as kumera, the orange seems to be the most readily available.
My neighbor grows ordinary potatoes easily do maybe I could give the sweet potato a try. I'll try your method Grouie. Thanks for the tip
I really like it. I buy it most weeks and roast it, steam it, mash it, soup it, curry it, fry it as wedges. I've bought it as a dip too but I must try making it myself, maybe with ricotta and Cajun spices. Any ideas?

Besides what you have mentioned we also boil them and eat them dipped in coconut juice to which jaggery is added. Ofcourse the coconut juice is boiled.

 

[Arielphf]

Here in India because of the long season they grow very well. I have the mongoose problem...

Yeah, I can see you might. We complain about grey squirrels, but a mongoose is a whole lot more of a determined animal. I hope they at least keep the garden snake free for all the sweet potatoes they go after. LOL! Good luck!

 

[Pat]

It is probably to late to start a potatoe now and we have had such a wet season so far, had I known that my cutting would make another sweet potatoe I would have stuck it in the ground to produce more sweet potatoes. Will try it next spring or later if I still have time this year.

 

[Smartmom]

Awesome! I love eating sweet potatoes and I love growing them. My husband and I grow ours the very same way. We've had no problems so far. They grow very well and we save tons of money. I just love the idea of organic gardening and being able to eat a little bit healthier.