Squash & Sweet Potato

[Sug]

Already thinking about next year! Has anyone grown butternut squash and sweet potato? Would love to try them but am not going to waste my time if they don't grow sucessfully. Anyone any tips?

[User Removed]

We have grown butternut squash a few times, looks good, easy to grow and it tastes great.
I have never trued growing sweet potatoes though

[Shortie]

Me too Adam, they seem easy to grow - maybe a bit too easy and they're trying to make a take-over-bid in the garden!

I've not tried sweet potatoe either but have been thinking about them for next year too

[vicki]

this is music to my ears!! I LOVE butternut squash but thought it might be too difficult to grow!!
What time of year do you sow them? the same as courgettes or later?

[Slug]

There was an article about sweet potatoes in the GYO magazine a couple of issues back. They seem easy enough to take slips of, but I don't know if we have the right climate. I think they need quite warm weather - although judging by this year.... we should be able to grow most things tropical!

Like you... I too love butternut squash. I'm trying a Japanese pumpkin this year which is supposed to have flesh so sweet that it can be eaten raw. I'll see how it compares to butternut squash....!

[JennieAtkinson]

All I seem to get on butternut squash are lots of leaves - no flowers yet. Do you treat them like courgettes? ie ignore ?

[bramble]

Don't think sweet potato will grow in our climate Sug, but i don't suppose it will do any harm to give them a try.

[Slug]

I thought you just left the butternut squash pretty much like courgettes - although Shortie may have a better answer - she's the butternut squash queen!

Bramble... I was hoping the climate in 'The Sunny South East' may give a bit of hope for the ole sweet potatoes.... I can but hope! I think they're best for those with a poly tunnel, which unfortuntely I don't have : (

[Slug]

Jennie, have you been feeding your squash with anything? Just wondering what could give them lots of leaves and no flowers. I've fed mine nothing (stingy or what!) and I have lots of little flower buds forming and the first flower opened today.

I did give them some chicken poo pellets at the start of the year when I was getting the ground ready, but besides that... nothing.

You mentioned in another thread that your courgettes are all leafy too - have you been feeding them?

[bramble]

Go on, be a dare devil and give them a try. If they grow anywhere in Ireland IT WILL BE the "sunny south east"
We go down every Jan or Feb, and stay in The Towers for 5 days. I love Waterford.

[Mycorrhizal]

My butternut are huge but have only just started flowering!- good to see there’s other people in the same boat…

As for sweet potatoes, I’ve discovered that they need to be really warm before they will produce slips. I planted a couple of slips out about 6 weeks ago and they seem to be growing healthily albeit rather slowly. Fingers crossed!

Mycorr

---------------------------------

Grow your own truffles – www.PlantationSystems.com – buy a truffle-tree!

[Lesley Jay]

You can buy the slips for sweet potatoes from www.thompson-morgan.co.uk But they are expensive. At least I think so.

[Silverfox]

Here is some info I found on sweet potatos. I have also looked into growing them, but for the amount I use I think I am better to still get them at my local Caribbean shop.

The main consideration when growing sweet potatoes is climate conditions. In order to produce a reasonable crop, the plants require a long and hot growing season (requiring an average temperature of 24 °C) with absolutely no risk of frost during the growing period: most sweet potato varieties require at least 4 frost-free months. The second important consideration is space. Although it is possible to get “bush” varieties, the natural habit of the plant is to trail along the ground: it often spreads 4 feet in all directions.

In short, if you don’t live in a relatively warm climate, it’s probably not worth you attempting to grow them. For those of you who do have the right conditions, here are some basic instructions on growing them.

Unless you have very sandy soil, make ridges about 20cm/8 inches high and 30cm/1 foot wide with at least 90cm/3 feet between the rows. Growing from seed is not recommended - the best method is to grow from small plants (vine cuttings) which are achieved much in the same way as strawberry runners. They are often referred to as “slips”. Choose an area which gets full sun throughout the day and plant the slips 12 to 18 inches apart along the raised ridges setting them to the depth of the first leaves so that several “joints” are actually underground. Firm the soil and water generously for a few days.

Keep the area as weed free as possible and water in hot dry periods to increase yields. Do not over water as they don’t like wet or waterlogged soil and if you are planning to store any of the crop, don't give the plants any extra water at all late in the season. Apart from this there is little else to do until harvesting time.

Unlike ordinary potatoes, sweet potato vines don't dieback when they are ready to be harvested so the ridges have to be checked regularly for suitable roots at the required cooking stage. Harvest on a dry preferably overcast day. Allow the potatoes to dry on the ground surface for a couple of hours. Sort any damaged or bruised potatoes and use as soon as possible.
http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Specials%20and%20Holidays/Sweet%20Potatoes%20Origin%20Uses%20Recipes.htm

[Saoirse]

I've grown sweet potatoes with great success: I bought the slips from Thompson and Morgan. I potted them up as I was not ready to plant them out, and they put on some good growth. I then planted them out through holes cut in a black plastic mulch, and watered and fed them periodically. We got a truly brilliant crop of huge beauties! This year they are actually advising that you pot them up for 2-3 weeks before planting out, so I guess that I coincidentally did the right thing.

We have a clay soil (London) and did nothing to improve the drainage, beyond the usual anyway, and they did pretty well. I would definitely have a go, as the thrill of harvesting them was great!

They do need warmth, but our summers are so warm now that unless you live in the far north I would think they would do well. And there is always a polytunnel.

Good luck!

Nicky

[JennieAtkinson]

Jennie, have you been feeding your squash with anything? Just wondering what could give them lots of leaves and no flowers. I've fed mine nothing (stingy or what!) and I have lots of little flower buds forming and the first flower opened today.

I did give them some chicken poo pellets at the start of the year when I was getting the ground ready, but besides that... nothing.

You mentioned in another thread that your courgettes are all leafy too - have you been feeding them?

Slug - no I haven't fed the squash yet, just given them plenty of water and they are growing in an area of the polytunnel where I put plenty of compost. The courgettes are growing in an area which I fertilised with the contents of the Bokashi Bran bucket from work. I'm wondering if it was a bit rich for courgettes. I've never grown courgettes direct in the grown before, normally in pots or grow bags. I had meant to sow more seeds in a bag, but completely forgot!

Any clues/advice gratefully received!