Saving Sweet Potato

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Westi
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Hi giaur,

Funnily but as I was mooching around trying to find the answer to my flowers v's tubers I found something about humidity & the 98% was well higher than they suggested as was the need for heat. They were suggesting just putting them apart somewhere 'warm' like somewhere indoors. With your mega harvest though you probably will need a barn or huge garage.

Any thoughts of experimenting with one that is rooting now to see how it fares? It will need a bit more TLC but you could get some slips earlier as will probably go dormant with the loss of light but might wake up in Spring as they are so huge they could have enough energy to get through. Just a thought & probably a rubbish one, but it's just one tuber at risk! Still hitting 30C in the tunnel for mine & they seem OK with the shortening days so far.
Westi
giaur500
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My harvest is 10 fruit crates (not.fully loaded). I have bad experience putting them fresh indoors. They degradate very quickly, especially small ones. But as wikipedia says, it highly depends from storage conditions, mine seems to be bad for them.

I hope I'm not going to lost my harvest, but I'm pretty sure it could be lost anyway without any cure.
giaur500
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Small update about how to cure and store them. I must say, my method to cure failed completly. Most of them are soft and starts to decay. But there's something interesting. Some tubers have been thrown away outside after harvesting, 3 weeks ago as they are small and considered useless.

And I can see, all of them are in perfect condition now- skin is very hard and they seem to be cured perfectly. It looks like they can be cured outside in low temperature conditions. I'm really surprised, because even frost did not destroy them. Autumn weather helped to cure them outside, while warm incubator does not work at all.

September temperature is typical autumn weather - sometimes sunlight and +13, cold nights, sometimes frost -2 and +5 day and high humidity all the time
Westi
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Still holding onto mine, no yellowing of the leaves but they are getting a bit raggy. The few tubers pushing up look pretty small, but maybe some bigger ones underneath or in the back row which is showing none pushing up. I'm amazed they have lasted this long but will leave them until proper yellowing. No frost as yet but looks like it is coming in a couple of days, it's says 1C for home for Thurs but lottie is a bit rural with no buildings to protect or give off any stored warmth overnight. Both tunnel doors will be shut from tomorrow to offer more protection & as I am down more they can get a bit of ventilation during my visits.

Can but try & I know at least that the little bit of extra bubble wrap around their spot offers pretty good protection, so I will repeat that even if I get an earlier spring next year & they don't need to just survive & not grow for so long.
Westi
giaur500
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Well I think the best way is to avoid store them. Instead, get only small amount and eat fresh every time. That's difficult to store them.
Westi
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I think giaur there must be an easy way to cure them & store them as let's face it they travel around the world intact. The best would be having a run of sun & warmth so they could be left on the soil, but not likely, but think there is a way that will be low humidity & warmth if you search a bit more. Sad to say mine go into a veg double tier thing like shopping baskets but plastic just in the kitchen in the corner, no heating in there except from cooking.

BTW I have found a pretty reasonable sized one in the back row, found while blocking the mice entrances into the tunnel! Both tunnel doors are closed as frost tomorrow night but the coming days are sunny so I am going to harvest as don't want them to rot from lack of ventilation, got vents but they need wind to get in & not just open due to temp & that doesn't always match their placement. As much as I'd like to experiment a bit more these guys have taken lots of time & pampering to get them this far! Pictures will follow tomorrow whether good or bad!
Westi
Westi
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Well I bit the bullet & harvested them today! The main reason being something has been in the tunnel digging up the carrots & disappearing with them. I would have thought they were too big for the mice to carry away or get through the wee runs they make. I'm thinking rat but can't find any access spots big enough for them. Either way I wasn't going to risk the sweet potatoes.

Not as many as expected but a better size than I thought & all will be usable in one form or another.
IMG_6092.JPG
IMG_6092.JPG (2.58 MiB) Viewed 5724 times
Westi
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retropants
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very good crop!
ElliotM
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A pretty good size, hope the taste was good too
giaur500
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New season is coming. Slips grow pretty fast:
Image
Westi
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I haven't even started mine yet, cheers for the prompt. I have ordered back up slips though just in case of the worst case scenario.
Westi
giaur500
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I also ordered some tubers to grow slips from them. Interesting varieties: African Orange, Purple (but not All Purple I already own, shown on above pic), Murasaki and Japanese (purple, tubers are similar to All Purple).

But stil, I think All Purple grows fastest and gives largest crop. I couldn't find tubersto buy this year, good my own grows fine.
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