Sally's GF3 thread

[Sally PB]

I planted ONE sweet potato

Ah! You planted the potato, right? Cool!

When I've looked at ordering them to plant, all I find for sale are slips. You can buy seed potatoes, why not seed sweet potatoes?

How did you cure them? I'm going to put them in the green house, and really wet down the (dirt) floor to raise the humidity.

 

[fuzzi]

Ah! You planted the potato, right? Cool!

When I've looked at ordering them to plant, all I find for sale are slips. You can buy seed potatoes, why not seed sweet potatoes?

How did you cure them? I'm going to put them in the green house, and really wet down the (dirt) floor to raise the humidity.

Well, the curing didn't go too well. It was my first time trying. I had them in the oven with the light on, and a pan of water on the lower rack.

Afterwards they molded in a box in my shed, too warm. Learning process...

 

[Sally PB]

Yeah, I'm feeling my way here on the curing process. I'll put them in the green house (warm) and keep the dirt floor wet (humidity).

Today is the last summer weather day. 80s today, 60s tomorrow, and then mid-50s, and chances of rain for the next 6 days, starting tomorrow. I read that 50 degree soil can damage them. Wish I'd read that last week.

I'm going to try to dig them all today.

 

[saysfaa]

It will take some time for the soil temperature to drop after the air temperature drops. Although digging in wet soil is less than ideal, this gives you some hope if you don't get them all today.

 

[Sally PB]

It will take some time for the soil temperature to drop after the air temperature drops. Although digging in wet soil is less than ideal, this gives you some hope if you don't get them all today.

Thanks. I'm going to dig what I can. I'll leave the vines on the ones I can't, so maybe that will help keep the ground warm. This particular soil drains VERY well, it's sand.

I need to get a picture of the bed before I start digging.

 

[Sally PB]

I got them all dug. Whew.
Before, ish... I'd dug a few and then remembered to take the picture.

That's a main stem, with my fingers for scale. (I had to put my hand down flat; every time I took a picture of one finger for scale, it looked like "that" finger.)

This hill had the most.

They're now in the green house. That's water on the (dirt) floor to raise the humidity. Temp is about 90 -- good -- but the humidity was only 50. I hope dumping a couple gallons of water on the floor every day will do the trick.

 

[Sally PB]

I learned a lot about digging sweet potatoes. I don't have the meme of the guy who says, "One does not merely (fill in the blank)." But it applies.

One does not "dig" sweet potatoes. One "excavates" them.

This one had as much still in the dirt, growing down, as what I'd already uncovered.

Also, one does not "pull" sweet potatoes. Each tuber has a mind of its own. Pull on it, and if it wants too, it will break. They are very... brittle, for lack of a better term. If it has a bend in it and you pull, it will break at the bend.

I found the best way to get them out was to find the main stem. That's where the tubers are. Dig a wide circle around it, at least 18" away from the stem. This means getting the myriad of vines pulled loose or cut off to get them out of the way.

Then get down on your hands and knees and gently move the dirt away from the tubers. I used a trowel at times to help get the dirt out.

Avoid damaging the skin... yeah, right. The skin will rub off in your fingers. I did the best I could.

We'll see what happens!

 

[cavemanrich]

Now I get a better understanding why these will grow better in light soil,,, rather than in heavy.

 

[fuzzi]

Here's a PDF of the health benefits of yams and sweet potatoes (they're NOT the same).

 

[Sally PB]

Thanks for the info, @fuzzi!