I must get mine up.
I’ve harvested two pots.
From each one I got a decent huge potato a couple of decent ones and the rest were like wavy large carrots
I think next year they need bigger pots
I’ve saved one so far hoping to sprout slips but don’t know really how to do that.
I know Philip said you could pot the slips and over winter them.
Oddly enough ... the foliage on mine at the allotment was dying down so I tipped all four pots out on Saturday. I got bucket full from four pots - we are actually having some of them tonight -'er indoors picked out a few medium sized ones and peeled them before i could get a photo but here's a couple of the better ones that are left in the bucket.
Like Dani - there's quite a few that are a bit like corkscrewed biggish carrots ... there was a mass of roots and in amongst the roots there were absolutely loads of embrionic tubers ... about half inch in diameter and two or three inches long.
I think I started out too late ... they really need to be in the pots as soon as the last frost has gone, I will get the slips started in January I reckon. They like a lot of heat and I reckon next year I will get the tubs into a mini temporary greenhouse. I have some slips overwintering in the greenhouse and I'm going to save a couple of tubers from my crop to start them going.
I must get mine up.
I’ve harvested two pots.
From each one I got a decent huge potato a couple of decent ones and the rest were like wavy large carrots
I think next year they need bigger pots
I’ve saved one so far hoping to sprout slips but don’t know really how to do that.
I know Philip said you could pot the slips and over winter them.
Sprouting slips is the easiest thing .., put the tuber, sharp side up, in a jam jar. Fill the jam jar three quarters full of water and then place it somewhere warm ... I put mine on top of the central heating boiler. The tubers will start to sprout the slips ... when they get to about 6" long, nip them off where they join the tuber and put them in a jam jar with some water and they will start to grow roots. Once they have a decent root system pot them on into 6" plant pots for a week or two and then into their final tubs. I fed mine regularly with my comfrey stew.
The plants are very vigorous and I think four to a pot was too many - three would be better and the longest growing season I can manage. See post #13 for photos of the slips once they have been nipped off the tubers.
Emptied the bucket in the garden greenhouse, mahoosive crop
Masses of fibrous roots and WHITE sweet potatoes.
I’ve discovered you have to “cure” sweet spuds but these will be eaten tonight
Stan said he had ordered two varieties but I never knew you could get white ones!
Yes ... staple food in East Africa generally ... I think sweet potatoes love the heat and the sandy soils you get there .. plus the traditional fertiliser is dung ... and they are not fussy where it comes from ! I don't think we would ever get sweet potatoes that size in the UK.
Dani ..I knew white sweet potatoes were available but I didn't think they were able to be grown in our temperate climate - you've done well with those presumably the heat of the greenhouse helped. I think you only have to harden off the skins if you want to keep them for any length of time - it doesn't appear to affect either the taste or the cooking if you eat them straight away.
My slips in pots in the greenhouse have survived so far, they are not growing at present but I may bring them into the garage today as we are going to get some frost down here ... not much compared to other parts of the UK but I know they don't respond well to frost. I will be starting some new ones from some that I harvested this year on top of the central heating boiler after Christmas.
