Kitchen Garden Forum

Temperature: +34 °C. Current look:



500-600 kg tubers ecpected.

That looks a rather spectacular crop in the making.
Do they suffer from blight in the same way that ordinary potatoes do?

No, it's completly different unrelated plant. They don't share any pests or diseases with potato. The name is similar, but they have nothing to do with potato. Sweet potato is bindweed family, the same as convolvulus, even flowers look almost the same.



New tubers are there.

Mine are obviously shy! Mind not surprised as I would avoid 34C, but that is near the temp in the tunnel. It's been a weird year over here in their defence - late frosts, too much rain, warm days but freezing nights! Hey Ho! Might get an Indian summer or a better chance next year if gulf stream plays nice!

Must say that, this year I'm getting excellent, hot summer. Late, but much more hot so far. Optimal conditions for tropical plants. Definitely, tunnel is unnecesary

I just realized how much work will be required to harvest them all, well it won't be easy! I hope I will able to do that

Your garden is so beautiful. I am loving it.

Thanks. I guess Bangladesh is very warm country, so sweet potatoes grow very well there. In my case, it depends how hot weather is it. Now temperature is +22 C only and +13 night, but higher temperatures are expected again soon.

Almost all plants are "all purple" species. They grow 0.5m depp into the ground. Really hard to harvest, it will take much time.

Yes, you can save sweet potato for next year. But need to follow few step. You have stored them in a dry places. Don`t put them in a cool places.

Janet K. Sullivan wrote:Yes, you can save sweet potato for next year. But need to follow few step. You have stored them in a dry places. Don`t put them in a cool places.

Some people used to "cure" them first, what do you think, does that really make any differennce?

I think 3 months of growing season remaining, but now I'm getting nice tubers:



But definitely, it's too early for harvest. Only 2-3 bigger tubers are present, the rest are either missing (only roots are present) or very small. I will try again after 2 months, maybe middle of September, or even better middle of October if possible. Should be much better. I hope autumn won't be very cold this year, so I will be able to wait longer.

Hi giaur500!

Just an update on mine, they are finally playing and vines are everywhere. Not as spectacular as previous successful years, but obviously enjoyed the couple of scorching weeks we had. That weather is broken now by some spectacular lightning storms & deluges but they seem over. Outside temp is holding around 20C - 22C for the coming few weeks, but tunnel is still hitting high 30's/low 40's with min around the outside day temp so they should be happy enough. I am hoping for an Indian Summer to prolong the season as they will need the extra grow time after their lazy start.

In my case, apparently 30/20 day/night temperatures won't return anymore. However, many days with 25/15 are still expected. So I think it will be fine.

They just started flowering (white variety, purple always starts a bit later).

From 2 plants only, some giants there:



I'm planning to wait 2-3 weeks to harvest them all. Temperature is lower every day, but next week it's going to be +16-17 and sunny, so I will let them to grow now

Because mine were slow to take off I am keeping them in as long as possible. Been a way bit cooler over the last few days but higher to come by the end of the week so I have closed one of the tunnel doors & made them a little fence covered in bubble wrap to deflect the cool & very lively winds we are experiencing. It was 28C in the tunnel today with the door closed. I got lucky & choose the right end of the tunnel to close yesterday. Today when the wind & rain came it was from the opposite direction, but the majority of the time it is from the south. They look healthy & the vines are still growing so fingers crossed I get lucky, but not overly optimistic but so long as useable & not a mass of skinny little fingerlings I'll be happy considering the challenges this year.

Mine are dying slowly, but as long as green leaves are there, I guess roots grow. But they will reach their end soon. I got very cold September first week, with temperatures not more than +5 both night and day, that almost killed them. But some leaves are still healthy. I think I will wait for all leaves to die. Looking at weather forecasts, I think it's 2-3 weeks remaining.