Kitchen Garden Forum

Mr-Cecil, yours are further ahead than mine so you will get a crop this year. You have flowers & the tubers will be formed & keep swelling until the tops gets frosted which will also be a bit later as yours are undercover, but you can delay that moment also with bit with a bit of protection which may also help.

Mine are only about 6 - 10 leaves, so I won't get a crop this year so just having a muck around as I know I will have no tubers as way too late for flowers. I seriously think it will not work, but nothing to be gained from them either way. Don't risk your crop, flowers are a good sign.

Westi
PS: Buying some slips next year!

Westi,
I decided to have a rake around today as I noticed that some critter appeared to have had ago at one of the sweet potato plants. It appears to have eaten some of the "red" tubers near the surface and has cut the main stem in the process. The plant with the more orange tubers is intact.

It does not look encouraging. I still have one plant still to check.

Based on what you said in an earlier part of the discussion, I'm wondering if you can tell me if I can save the "orange" coloured plant I've dug up intact for next year.

Do you think I could just remove some of the tubers from the "orange" plant, pot it up and overwinter it?

Note I planted 3 different types of sweet potato. The redder one was "Evangeline", the "orange" one was "Murasaki", the 3rd is still in the ground.

Hi Mr Cecil

They needed more time, but don't waste them, great in soups & stews just scrubbed clean of mud. Don't season them just use them as dug. As regards your question - give it a go, but new plants grow from the tubers themselves. It just was too slow a start weather wise this year, but if you find a reasonable size tuber start it off earlier next year somewhere warm & light.

My experiment continues, they are in the unheated greenhouse - totally stagnant with no further growth but alive. I'll protect them as much as possible & will put water filled bottles around them - maybe with a kettle top up when really cold & see what happens.

Westi

This months magazine is suggesting that you start them off early with a hot bed. I might give that ago. Perhaps if I try and save the 2 plants I have left, I could make a hot bed and put them in that.

I was reading that also & today did a visit to the manure heaps but the farmer had turned it all so really old stuff on the top with no heat, but we gets lots dropped down at the lottie so there will be fresh stuff again soon. I've got an old cold frame with a broken pane at one end but have some polycarbonate sheets I can pack around it to insulate it. Neighbour has chickens so will ask for some of that muck to add extra heat as well. It's quite a good size - must be 6ft long and about 2 1/2 foot high so if I sit it above the hot bed could prove perfect.

It will be for some sweet potatoes, but think I will pop a watermelon in as well.

Westi

It sounds like this will be an ongoing experiment. I'll let you know how I get on.

I did cook the mini potato tonight and they did taste good. I guess that is something!

Moving into another year with another challenge for us both then mr-cecil! If I can get my wee plants through the winter they may well enjoy the hot bed when the light levels improve - that would be a head start & may improve the size of the harvest. I'll have to do reverse hardening off though - hmm?

Westi

I dug up the 3rd plant, which was a bit more encouraging.

I'm going to pot some of the tubers up and see what happens.

I've come to conclusion our climate is rarely suited to really good outdoor sweet potato harvest.

Under commercial polytunnel may be different.
You don't get many tubers on a plant at any time.

As for trying to grow from tubers I would assume that to be unlikely to be a success since every supplier I have ever seen only supplies slips.

Hey Pa! How's it going?
The slips are the little plants off the tubers. Do the old cocktail sticks in the sweet potato & place the right end in a glass of water & wee plants grow out of the eyes. I've had success just putting the tuber in the immersion tank cupboard on a piece of card, wants to grow & does the same thing, but slower I think. x

Mr Cecil - they look forked & think I can see the odd stone - shame that would have been a good size without the contortions, maybe sift the soil on top the hot bed & a bit of the soil below it as when it cools they will continue downwards if happy with this hotter environment to start with. I'm looking forward to this - will be ecstatic if I can get a decent watermelon as well!

Westi
PS: Bit more research needed - & another Indian Summer would be good.

Yes, it seems we are both trying to grow water mellons and sweet potatos.

Did you have any success with watermelons? I got one about as big as a grapefruit (other fruit grew but never made it). It was not fully ripe, but edible.

Ditto! I was well chuffed with my watermelon the year before last, good size, just smaller than a soccer ball ,nice hollow ring when tapped but when I finally got tired of polishing it and cut it - it wasn't ripe! I took it too soon. Don't have that problem with other yellow melons as you can smell them when ready - got 2 of these this year about the size of an orange, but well tasty they were described as 'mini'. I will need to research how to tell when watermelons ripe - or just try to be less enthusiastic!

Westi

Westi,

Where did you get you seeds from? Mine were "red star".
http://www.unwins.co.uk/watermelon-red- ... d5814.html

Baby something or another, but with a hot bed I think I will search the internet and get one of those big cylinder ones from my childhood, well that shape but not as big as those probably. I will have to get the seed from the states, but think I might have a peek at what pumpkins are available from over the pond as well. I got a few about 5 years ago - giant pink banana was one & a big warty one which was lovely - really orange flesh and was delish roasted as went all caramelised on the edges, and great soup too.

You can see I'm hoping for a long hot summer as well - ever the optimist hey?

Westi