MY FIRST SWEET POTATO STARTS
MY FIRST SWEET POTATO STARTS
Around Thanksgiving 2017, on our list of groceries were sweet potatoes, even though we really don't eat them very often. In the meal that we planned to prepare were other similar dishes we like better, such as pumpkin pie. We did use some of the sweet potatoes, but not many. We overbought. Usually they would sit in the bottom of the fridge where they would be for months and months, until finally they were shriveled unrecognizable tubers. They last just fine on the counter for a long time, too, but we extend the life by keeping them in the fridge. That's almost a wasted effort when we only cook them once or twice a year. Well, the last few years since we've been living the rural life, we compost as much as possible. Ending up with wasted sweet potatoes hasn't felt like too big of a deal because, honestly, it just gets tossed in the compost pile anyway.
I'm still what I consider a "novice homesteader/permaculturist". I do read a lot. I search out information to try to learn. Have not had a lot of implementation yet, but the intention is there. Considering I'm not a big sweet potato fan, I've never bothered to learn about them before. I also like to watch videos on Youtube, which is where I kept seeing how much sweet potatoes are a part of many people's permaculture designs. Isn't it amazing how learning about something can open your mind to things you really hadn't paid much thought to before? An uninteresting vegetable became a new fun learning experience for me!
THE 5 MAIN REASONS WHY I WILL BE GROWING THEM FROM NOW ON ARE:
1. Nutritional Value, of course. (Yes, I know I said I am not a fan, but I should find a way to like them!)
(Source: Nutrient data for this listing was provided by USDA SR-21. Each "~" indicates a missing or incomplete value.)
2. The entire plant is edible which is PARTICULARLY what I am attracted to. The tubers are nutritional, yes, but sweet foods are not my favorite. I'd much rather eat the leaves and stems! They are a good crop to feed your animals, too.
3. They are perennial (Quote source)
Sweet potatoes are perennial in climates that remain warm year-round, but they can serve as a highly productive annual in cooler areas. Obviously, for those of us in the right environments, the perennial staying power is a real positive in garden design. But, beyond those lines, the basics of the sweet potato are that it doesn’t like to be in ground colder than ten degrees Celsius, will go dormant at about fifteen, and grows-to-thrives from twenty up, doing better the hotter it gets. To grow them in places like Canada or England, it may require a heat trapping cover (some suggest reused clear builder’s plastic), but appropriate mulching might just work.
- Another great website for additional nutritional information, including how the nutritional content compares to other vegetables, VISIT THE CALIFORNIA SWEET POTATO COUNCIL'S WEBSITE HERE.
4. They make for a great ground cover which will help suppress weeds. Who doesn't love that about a plant, huh? They are also within the Morning glory family so have gorgeous leaves and flowers which is why there are ornamental sweet potato varieties that are planted specifically for their beautifully colorful leaves.
- IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A DOWNLOADABLE PDF CONTAINING MORE DETAILED INFORMATION AND FACTS ABOUT SWEET POTATOES, (which I highly recommend if you are already a fan of them or are the curious type), THE CIP INTERNATIONAL POTATO CENTER PUBLISHED A BROCHURE IN 2010 WHICH YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE or you can visit their website here
WHICH BRINGS ME FULL CIRCLE TO THE POINT OF MY POST.
5. Lastly, it's very easy to grow, as you can see from the sweet potatoes we have that are beginning to sprout and form slips. After having the leftover sweet potatoes sitting on the counter since the end of November, in a steady warm climate, we noticed they are beginning to grow slips!!That means once they grow some more, we will be able to split the slips to grown several plants off each sweet potato. This will be great for ground cover below our apple trees, and other areas where we do not want to have to mow or weed.
They are beginning to grow without any help from us, but we decided to try to help them along. This is a really simple technique I have also successfully used with avocado pits, potatoes ginger, and turmeric
- Find a container big enough for the diameter of your sweet potato to easily fit, without having too large of a gap between the sweet potato and the rim of the container.
- Add toothpicks around the outside to create support to keep the sweet potato from being completely submerged in the water.
- Add enough water so that the bottom 1/4th to 1/3rd inch is submerged in water.
- Make sure to keep enough water in the container and change it out if it starts getting nasty.
- Put it in a well lit area. They like heat so you can put them beside a south facing window and/or heater vent.
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Who doesn't like sweet potatoes, what a great post thanks
I will like them. I will like them. I will like them. I will like them.
hehe. =P
Sweet potatoes are not one of my favorite veggies either. I'll eat them, but I don't go out of my way to do so.
The climate where I'm at isn't very suitable to growing them, it's not hot enough for long enough to get decent tubers. I might try them in the greenhouse this year to see how that works out.
I bet they would do really well in the greenhouse. Will you take pictures and post on it if you do?
Last year, my garden and greenhouse were most of what I wrote about on steemit, so I would imagine I'll do a lot of it again. I have some ideas for things to try in the greenhouse this coming summer that I wouldn't normally plant in the garden due to the short season.
I can't believe you are not a fan of the sweet potato tubers. I much prefer them to regular potato but they are expensive in the super market where we live and it is too cold here to grow them. Maybe one day when we have a high tunnel...
Also there are several different varieties. What we call them are Yams (orange flesh, most common around here), Sweet potatoes (light yellow flesh is a bit firmer an sweeter, Asian or Purple sweet potato. (usually purple skins, sometimes near white flesh and sometimes purple flesh, sweetest.)
I'm not a big fan of sweet foods in general. If I experimented with them in more savory dishes, I would probably like them more. I have seen a handful of varieties, but not where I am now. Most of the variety was in California. All it would take is just one or two to grow for slips. Once you get your big house built, you could grown them indoors on a south facing window. Maybe you could even make a small insulated cold frame for them.
If we don't have the funds for a high tunnel right away I think I will try the cold frame idea. Lots of stuff I would like to grow that just doesn't quite finish in our short season.
Very nice had some in the greenhouse a couple years ago that we started in the same way. I think there were three vines growing in a 10 gallon planter and after about 120 days we got 4-5 pounds of small sweet potatoes. They need a long grow season and heat to grow well.
Sounds like finding a way to heat them up enough is the big issue for a lot of people. Hm. How to troubleshoot that....I know my step father tried to grow them one year but he had them in dirt, basically. It was too solid for them to grow and they didn't get enough light because the planter was too tall. His 4 sweet potatoes were about the size of a mangled finger hehe
Yum! I'm in canada so it's difficult to grow them here, but I might just have to try some heat increasing methods to grow some of these... I really LOVE sweet potatoes!
I wonder if they would grow well over a micro-polytunnel covered hotbed? Not very familiar with Canadian Climate.
This makes me feel lazy and inspired 😁 awesome awesome 💝
I don't know yet how they will turn out, but all I really did was forget they were on the counter. lol
Looks so yummy!! I don't have so green a thumb, but I see the crucial importance that I suddenly learn, if I wish to survive! Thanks for modeling grow behavior!!
They are in the morning glory family. They are "supposed" to grow really easy. I am not sure about in Colorado as far as the temperature goes, but they should do well inside if a steady temperature and enough light. They make a really pretty ivy.
I love the sweet potatoes. I wish to grow them someday :)
Rydhi
xox
You should try!
@phedizzle Oh, I never thought of using this way to plant sweet potatoes! That's truly amazing, might need to give it a try asap~
If you do, please share with a post!
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