FARM I planted sweet potato slips this summer. Why can't I find any sweet potatoes?
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packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Mine were all the size of pencils, long and very skinny. The guy at the greenhouse said it was because we had too much rain this summer.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
And I'm not sure what we need to do differently next spring so there's actual sweet potatoes at harvest time.
naturallysweet
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Maybe something ate them.
big kumara
meh
All tops and no bottoms is usually from too much water or too much nitrogen.
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
Changed-
too much water is NOT the problem
please see this earlier TB2K thread http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?466270-Tip-for-sweet-potato-growers&highlight=sweet+potatoes specifically see post #20
we always KILL sweet potatoes here - this year I got over 180 lbs - (we eat LOTS of them, feed them to the dogs and give some away trading with neighbors) I would have had more than that BUT we lost some to ROT from TOO MUCH WATER. the back story is that we ALWAYS dig sweet potatoes in the first 7-10 days of SEPTEMBER -and always try to go by the moon but it was TOO WET and it stayed to wet to dig sweet potatoes clear through to LATE october . . . they were in the ground a minimum of 5 weeks too long soaking in the wet so we lost about 1/3 of the crop. I had sweet potatoes that looked like soccer balls.
you will ALWAYS do better planting sweet potatoes under BLACK PLASTIC that thread and post #20 will explain how and why plastic is used and it will also tell you the proper way to cure your sweet potatoes for long term storage. we're having pork chops and sweet potato fries tonight - the sweet potatoes we're having TONIGHT were dug in september of 2014. we don't eat 2015 sweet potatoes until AFTER the new year . . .
in summary your problem of ALL TOPS and NO BOTTOMS is a function of NOT planting under plastic - it is NOT "too much water" - plastic keeps the runners from setting down roots and making a bunch of tiny sweet pots - you will get nice potatoes and they will be clustered around your set like a sun dial.
here's another "secret" don't let your runners get over 5 feet where ever you can help it. I actually mow mine at the edge of the plastic sheet - that forces the plants energy to it's roots -your potatoes - and not to is vines that are trying desperately to make other (and much smaller ) sweet potatoes elsewhere.
AND = use BLACK plastic - it keeps them warmer - they're very cold weather adverse and will literally hibernate at temps below 55 F
too much water is NOT the problem
please see this earlier TB2K thread http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?466270-Tip-for-sweet-potato-growers&highlight=sweet+potatoes specifically see post #20
we always KILL sweet potatoes here - this year I got over 180 lbs - (we eat LOTS of them, feed them to the dogs and give some away trading with neighbors) I would have had more than that BUT we lost some to ROT from TOO MUCH WATER. the back story is that we ALWAYS dig sweet potatoes in the first 7-10 days of SEPTEMBER -and always try to go by the moon but it was TOO WET and it stayed to wet to dig sweet potatoes clear through to LATE october . . . they were in the ground a minimum of 5 weeks too long soaking in the wet so we lost about 1/3 of the crop. I had sweet potatoes that looked like soccer balls.
you will ALWAYS do better planting sweet potatoes under BLACK PLASTIC that thread and post #20 will explain how and why plastic is used and it will also tell you the proper way to cure your sweet potatoes for long term storage. we're having pork chops and sweet potato fries tonight - the sweet potatoes we're having TONIGHT were dug in september of 2014. we don't eat 2015 sweet potatoes until AFTER the new year . . .
in summary your problem of ALL TOPS and NO BOTTOMS is a function of NOT planting under plastic - it is NOT "too much water" - plastic keeps the runners from setting down roots and making a bunch of tiny sweet pots - you will get nice potatoes and they will be clustered around your set like a sun dial.
here's another "secret" don't let your runners get over 5 feet where ever you can help it. I actually mow mine at the edge of the plastic sheet - that forces the plants energy to it's roots -your potatoes - and not to is vines that are trying desperately to make other (and much smaller ) sweet potatoes elsewhere.
AND = use BLACK plastic - it keeps them warmer - they're very cold weather adverse and will literally hibernate at temps below 55 F
TerriHaute
Hoosier Gardener
I planted sweet potatoes from slips this year as I do every year and had a bumper crop of sweet potatoes from about 15 slips, Beauregard variety. We had way more rain than normal too. I do use black plastic mulch as recommended by Raggedy Man. We are having grilled ham steak and sweet potatoes tonight for dinner. 
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
TH
we put in 60 beaureguard slips and killed them this year - actually had way TOO MUCH rain here too - if you don't cure yours - try it next year. got that curing tip from mother earth about 8 yrs back . . .
we put in 60 beaureguard slips and killed them this year - actually had way TOO MUCH rain here too - if you don't cure yours - try it next year. got that curing tip from mother earth about 8 yrs back . . .
I agree that black plastic is a HUGE help for gardeners who aren't in the deep South for these plants. I've only grown them twice, (we're not huge sweet potato fans), but got plenty of large tubers. What I used is a plastic mulch film that Johnny's Selected Seeds used to call "IRT" mulch. They now call it "solar film".
The difference between this stuff and plain black plastic is that the solar film heats the SOIL... not the plastic. It allows the heat of the sun to be transferred *through* the plastic to the soil. It works so well that you can walk barefoot on it in August... I wouldn't recommend you try that on regular black plastic!!
I use the Solar Film on all "heat loving" crops- tomatoes, peppers, melons. I use plain black plastic on cool season stuff- cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc.
In fact, this stuff is so important to our ability to grow our own food in this climate that I've got two big rolls of it "in reserve". Yes, if TSHTF and we can't restock at some point, we'll run out... but in that case, we'd likely have 8 or 10 strong, useful, hardworking adults who would be pitching in with the work of gardening.
Summerthyme
The difference between this stuff and plain black plastic is that the solar film heats the SOIL... not the plastic. It allows the heat of the sun to be transferred *through* the plastic to the soil. It works so well that you can walk barefoot on it in August... I wouldn't recommend you try that on regular black plastic!!
I use the Solar Film on all "heat loving" crops- tomatoes, peppers, melons. I use plain black plastic on cool season stuff- cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc.
In fact, this stuff is so important to our ability to grow our own food in this climate that I've got two big rolls of it "in reserve". Yes, if TSHTF and we can't restock at some point, we'll run out... but in that case, we'd likely have 8 or 10 strong, useful, hardworking adults who would be pitching in with the work of gardening.
Summerthyme
TerriHaute
Hoosier Gardener
I dug ours the third week of September. Our summer was very wet but not our fall. I cure them by laying them out on a tarp in our metal pole barn, which gets warm inside, and then store them in mesh bags in our garage, which is under the house, so it stays cool and above freezing. The potatoes and all root vegetables seem to last longer if a bit of stem is left on when harvested.
I can't imaging digging 60 slips worth of sweet potatoes, it would take me days, and we would never eat that many!!
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
I enlisted RaggedyAnns help and it took the best part of 2 days with both of us humping it - I only wanted to plant about 1/2 that amount but she wanted more because we use them for the dogs - we have 2 rottweilers and she makes all of our dog food at home.
Summer - thanks for the tip on the solar film - I'm going to look into it
RM
Summer - thanks for the tip on the solar film - I'm going to look into it
RM
Sherrynboo
Veteran Member
Changed, the squirrels ate all of mine. After they polished off a lot of tomatoes it was on to the sweet potatoes. I didn't get any.
In the past did you plant whole sweet potatoes left over from the previous year?
Or from sweet potatoes from the store?
Seems like my old sweet potatoes get really soft or rot before they spout any growth. Nothing similar to white potatoes.
I've always planted slips and was going to try whole sweet potatoes like you did. But I had a couple of what I thought were bad whole sweet potatoes sprout and grow and I thought wow - but they did not produce anything like the slips did and I thought so much for that idea but then they were in a pretty shady area as compared to direct sun on the slips.
When you planted the whole potatoes were they sprouting first or not?
Another question.
A few here have mentioned overwatering, do sweet potatoes not need as much water as most of the garden?
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
water the slips in good for 7-10 days - then let mother nature take over
Scotto
Set Apart
This was a horrible year here for sweet potatoes. We got some, but not many.
The two potatoes were our largest two, and this knot was from last year where the biggest one in the knot was the size of one of the other two pictured. We got about 8 knots like this last year.
Too wet and cool this summer.
The two potatoes were our largest two, and this knot was from last year where the biggest one in the knot was the size of one of the other two pictured. We got about 8 knots like this last year.
Too wet and cool this summer.
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Bringing up these questions again. Can someone help out?
