The circle garden
This will be my first year ever growing sweet potatoes. If the weather keeps up with above average temperatures I might succeed. I'm going to give them the circle garden to grow in as it is the warmest part of the garden. It gets the most sun and it is surrounded by a brick path on three sides. And the walls of the raised beds are made by bricks. So think hot.
Right now I have some of the smaller Asian greens growing in one of the beds in the circle garden. Above is some Choy Sum coming up. The tatsoi, white stemmed baby bok choy, and Fun Jen are all coming up well. The Shanghai bok choy has only a few up. I think this is its last year. So sad. You can bet I'll be ordering more come next winter. The seed from that and from the white stemmed bok choy and the choy sum were a gift from Mac years ago. One year during my seed give away I asked if anyone had any Asian greens they liked. She sent me a ton of different seeds.
Sweet potato slips
Gardeners are so generous. This year I didn't ask for anything, but Norma offered to send me sweet potato slips. Whoohoo! They came this week. We were both a bit worried about Monday night's cold temps, but luckily they weren't left out on a truck that night as they arrived safe and sound. She sent four varieties. Korean Purple. Purple, and two whose names are unknown. The first two are short season and grow in her garden in upstate New York, so I figure they ought to grow here. I am cooler in the summer because of the sea breezes, but it ought to be hot enough with the weird weather we have had this year.
As soon as I received them they were put on the windowsill in water with my sweet potatoes that I'm trying to make slips with. These are Garnet and I think Beauregard. They are also short season sweet potatoes. I'm so excited about growing them. New things are always so much fun.
I´m so inspired by Your sweetpotatoe-growing that even I started to make slips myself. I think that in our cool climate i will grow them in large pots and have them in the greenhouse (if they sprout)... Have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteI want to try sweet potatoes this year too. However, I haven't figured out where to get slips yet. Well, I haven't really tried too hard. I know they are grown commercially in this part of the country so I was hoping they would be easy to find. Maybe I should get started!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE sweet potatoes!!!!!!
ReplyDeletevery exciting can't wait to see how they all turn out!
ReplyDeleteloving sweet potatoes; I have some from the store which I think I will stick in water, maybe right now while I'm thinking of it; Beauregard from the grocery store. I think this year I will grow them in a tub of compost and potting soil as my tries in the ground here have been dismal
ReplyDeleteI love sweet potatoes! I'm pretty sure they wouldn't make it here in Washington ... too cold and wet. Keep us posted on how they do!
ReplyDeleteI found sweet potatoes are really clever plants. I observe it always grows towards the brick. We grow them beside the driveway and whenever I move them back on the soil to avoid them being trample by car. It always moved back towards the brick again. Probably they know which place give them warmth.
ReplyDeleteIt is probably too late for me this year but I am interested in trying to grow sweet potatoes. Wondered if they needed a lot of room as we just have a small yard. I have just recently started a blog to share my gardening excitement. It is http://cozythymecottage.blogspot.com/ if you would like to visit. Thanks for any information about growing sweet potatoes. Nancy http://cozythymecottage.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI've yet to grow them so my answer is not from experience. Sweet potatoes do want a lot of room. They tend to vine and will take over. But you can always cut them back to keep them in their spot. And you can grow them in large pots just fine.
DeleteI'm growing sweet potatoes for the first time this year too. Like you I am on the edge of where they can be grown successfully. I had a look today and I found a little orange lump so I am very excited - it may be the only one but a little orange lump it is nonetheless. No idea as to variety as I grew them from a shop bought potato that got lost at the back of my cupboard and sprouted.
ReplyDeleteThanks Daphne for the sweet potato information. I will copy it to put in my notebook for next year. I imagine I would have to plant them early in the season? Nancy
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about sweet potatoes since it is my first year. But I know you do have to wait until the soil warms up. Some people say it must be 55F some say 65F and for at least four days in a row. I have to laugh though since a week ago that would have been met. But then we usually don't get a week that is close to 80F in March. But basically you have to make sure it is warm enough for them to grow. And they hate cool temps. They need hot.
DeleteElizabeth, I keep getting emails saying you posted, but never see the post here. So I'll answer your question anyway. Any shop light is fine. It doesn't matter the size of the bulbs. Some bulbs are just more efficient than others.
ReplyDeleteI did post once and then it dissapeared. I'll give our old shop light a try. I'll also try building a reflector for my sunny window spot.
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