Sweet Potatos

[MissG]

Hi! Does anyone out there know when to harvest sweet potatoes?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! This is my first time at growing them and all I know is the vine is very invasive!!

[Silverfox]

Back on a vine - Squash & Sweet Potato I got some info all about sweet potato.
This may not help but here yu go:

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...%20Recipes.htm

[Alison]

Have tried to grow sweet potatoes also this year, have you tried harvesting yet MissG and whereabouts are you in the country? Hopefully this will give me an idea of when mine may be ready (fingers crossed!). Must admit I was expecting REALLY extensive growth so am a bit bothered that they've not done too well as it's not too bad. Are you going to try and take cuttings for use next year, understand you can do this but not too sure how!

[Saoirse]

I have grown them before and I am pretty sure that you should leave them to grow for as long as possible. I've covered mine with some fleece as the nights are a bit chilly, so I plan to leave mine well into the autumn.

I'd keep them watered if it's dry and maybe give them a seaweed feed.

Happy harvest when you do dig them up!!

Nicky

[Shortie]

Sorry hijack the thread...

I was clearing under the stairs this morning and found a couple of old sweet potatoes that have started to sprout/produce slips. They're very small at the moment but also very healthy with leaves etc.

Can I do anythign with them now / can I stall them until it's the right time to plant, or are they a total lost cause that should be consigned to the compost?

[nick the grief]

Take cuttings shortie & over winter them as it will be easier that trying to keey the whole thing.

[Alison]

Any particular method of taking the cuttings?

[Shortie]

Cheers Nick, wasn't sure if it was a totally wrong time of year..
Alison, I think I have an article on it somewhere. If I find it I'l post it

[nick the grief]

Dunno Alison, don't grow sweet potatoes, but I would have thought that like normal softwood cuttings would be OK (just under a leaf node)

[MissG]

Have tried to grow sweet potatoes also this year, have you tried harvesting yet MissG and whereabouts are you in the country? Hopefully this will give me an idea of when mine may be ready (fingers crossed!). Must admit I was expecting REALLY extensive growth so am a bit bothered that they've not done too well as it's not too bad. Are you going to try and take cuttings for use next year, understand you can do this but not too sure how!

Hi Alison, We harvested some potatoes last weekend - I was surprised how well they had grown! They werent as big as shop bought ones but tasted fantasic! Im from E Yorks so I guess if your further south you should start harvesting too! I will try and take cuttings for next year but also not sure how! But as I paid £10 for 3 slips this year I think its worth a try! Good luck

[Alison]

Thanks for the info - will try one of them this week and if they're not ready leave the others for a week or too. £10 for 3 slips! Thought the £10 for 10 I bought of T&M was bad - mind you 9 of them survived which is better than most of the rest of stuff I had off them this year - made for some very irate phone calls I can tell you. At least they sent me some replacements for some of the flowering stuff I had off them even if they were a bit late by then.

[Nicos]

ONe of our allotment neighbours are growing them through a membrane,,will let you know how she gets on