The Potting Shed

lottie · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject:

I have kept some tubers in dry potting compost and will look at them tomorrow

I read on your blog and saw your pictures of yours - so it spurred me on to do something about mine.

I did take cuttings and they did shoot roots, but failed over the winter - they did not like living indoors - I think it was the low light as in short daylight hours.

Will let you know how my little tubers are.
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Lottie the Allotment Lady

Leonie2 · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:44 pm Post subject:

Thanks Lottie, that's interesting to know because I never got around to taking cuttings for overwintering, don't really have the space to keep plants overwinter anyway. I'm sure your tubers will be okay, they keep fairly well. Very Happy

lottie · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:39 am Post subject:

Will keep you posted. Off out into the rain later to get them from the lean to that serves as a potting shed/greenhouse - but it is not light enough for a greehouse sadly.
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Lottie the Allotment Lady

Libby · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:01 pm Post subject:

I fancy having a go at these, my neighbour and I have ordered some from the organic catalogue and will split them between us just to have a go. I think they don't get delivered till april but will let you know!
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Cabbagepatch · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:08 pm Post subject:

They are delicious although I've never grown them. Do they use a similar amount of space as an ordinary potato crop?

Leonie2 · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:20 pm Post subject:

Libby the first year of growing I bought slips and they arrived the first week of june, they still needed potting up and leaving for 3 weeks before planting out so in my opinion that date was too late for receiving them. But I still got a small crop and had enough tubers to set aside for my own slip production the following year. If yours arrive in April then you'll have the time you need. Good luck, they're really fun to grow.

Cabbage, the tubers/root system takes a similar space to ordinary potatoes, but the foliage on sweet potatoes trails like a vine rather than standing upright like ordinary potatoes. You can grow the vines up a trellis if space is limited.

lottie · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:22 pm Post subject:

Libby they are not sending them until April as you plant them out later than other crops.

In the states they are considered a weed. They are not the same as the sweet potato that we buy in a grocers store - or supermarket

I don't think that they take up as much room underground - but they take up more above ground and they grow bindweed like tops which go rampant - but the 'weed' like growth dies back so no problem on that score.
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Lottie the Allotment Lady

Svea · Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 2:39 pm Post subject:

i took cuttings in the autumn to try and overwinter the plants - they rooted very quickly but i didnt plant them up and they all died off after a few months Embarassed

never mind.

will try the slips thing this year myself - so better start now, eh?

just like to add to leonie's article, that i did notice a lot of ground heave once the tubers started swelling in earnest. so you could look out for that - it's a very exciting sign that things are going to happen at harvest time!