tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post6996597639929130306..comments2024-03-23T05:42:07.516-04:00Comments on The Deliberate Agrarian: Growing Sweet Potatoes in My Northern GardenHerrick Kimballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116051416696885647noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-25112919708530412362013-04-29T14:13:10.423-04:002013-04-29T14:13:10.423-04:00Hi there, I've been growing sweet potatoes for...Hi there, I've been growing sweet potatoes for over 10 years in our garden, first in NH, now in Canada. I always started the little plants in pots in the greenhouse --and got some big potatoes (one was 7.5 lbs,but it wasn't a orange kind. BUT, they were always all twisted and funny shapes, not like Herricks! Last year, we learned from a Jamaican, they just plant the plants in the ground. And if you start them in a pot, they will always be convoluted! So, last year for the first time we did it direct in the ground, and got 3 lbs.Beuregard per foot of row, all lovely shapes. I admit, not all were huge tubers, some more carrot sized, but kept and tasted just fine!!Charitynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-38930009355117477922011-11-14T20:55:27.761-05:002011-11-14T20:55:27.761-05:00Herrick, your sweet potato curing house looks almo...Herrick, your sweet potato curing house looks almost like miniature version of the sweet potato curing houses that used to be all over the south. They used furnace and fans then. One can still see remnants of them in some areas.Sylvie in Rappahannockhttp://www.laughingduckgardens.com/ldblog.php/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-87807765635872017692011-10-30T23:29:47.018-04:002011-10-30T23:29:47.018-04:00Sweet potatoes are awesome food! My sister-in-law...Sweet potatoes are awesome food! My sister-in-law spent some time in Paupau New Guine as a missionary and about 95% of their diet there consists of home grown pork and sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are the most nutritionally complete food that we can have, ranking up even higher than the rice and beans mix of South America--without all the threshing. Definitely a very nutritious food--even moreso that you grew your own! Great job!Paigehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06600037978764364572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-6804721275813790732011-10-27T22:41:12.805-04:002011-10-27T22:41:12.805-04:00In my second attempt at sweets, I planted a 'b...In my second attempt at sweets, I planted a 'bush' variety - Porto Rico. I couldn'y keep up with the weeding (other honeydos) and the mice tunneled in and ruined all the tubers of any size. Undiscovered until harvest. The little rats....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-60480013674030449662011-10-21T18:29:16.206-04:002011-10-21T18:29:16.206-04:00Thanks everyone for all the great comments and sug...Thanks everyone for all the great comments and suggestions.<br /><br />I just went out and measured the row. It was 44 ft. long.<br /><br />The vines never did make flowers. I think I got the slips planted a little late for that.<br /><br />It did not get all that cold during the time the sweet potatoes were planted. Central New York can get quite hot during the growing season. <br /><br />Robin, <br />Thanks for the yurt update. One of these days......Herrick Kimballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17116051416696885647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-1200267513495823352011-10-21T13:05:56.170-04:002011-10-21T13:05:56.170-04:00I live in NEOhio and this year was my second growi...I live in NEOhio and this year was my second growing sweet potatoes. To cure, all I did was place on an old screen door suspended between a couple of sawhorses in a detached garage - the temps probably did not get as high as recommended, but the sweet potatoes do eventually cure - I then put them in drywall buckets and store in the garage or basement - again, not as warm as the book recommended. We ate them all last year before any started going bad, so I'd definetly follow the higher cure temp. advice for max storage time.<br /><br />Herrick - another benefit that I experienced this year (not last) was pretty purple flowers that developed on the vines late in the season. I planted on row, about 30 feet long and it wound up looking quite nice when the flowers developed. So, good eaten, easy to grow, and visually pleasing - what more could one want? <br /><br />One final commment - my wife makes a sweet potatoes and onions dish that is outstanding!!! Roasted sweet potatoes and onions, some spices, a little olive oil drizzled over the top. If you get it just right, the onions will be slightly carmelized and the taste of the sweet potato combined with onion is delicious.timfromohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-16305131270031448352011-10-21T10:36:53.211-04:002011-10-21T10:36:53.211-04:00I have grown sweet potatoes 2 years and this is th...I have grown sweet potatoes 2 years and this is the first I heard about "curing" them. I might give it a try next year on some of them. We just bring ours inside and keep them in a cool place next to the potatoes. They lasted just as long...<br /><br />Thanks for the pictures and information. I grow Beauregards, and they are tasty. :)<br /><br />I'm curious, how cold did your C. NY location get during the time the sweet potatoes were planted? <br /><br />Has anyone tried starting sweet potatoes in a greenhouse and transplanting them when the weather warms enough?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-82822621199339183482011-10-21T10:26:33.463-04:002011-10-21T10:26:33.463-04:00Another great post Herrick.Now I have another proj...Another great post Herrick.Now I have another project to add to my gardening list for next year.Jason Barkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-5826233221849649302011-10-21T09:39:52.325-04:002011-10-21T09:39:52.325-04:00My family always cured the sweet potatoes in the s...My family always cured the sweet potatoes in the smoke house until it got cold enough to butcher.My father used to say that the sweet potatoes got his family through the depression. His absolute favorite was sweet potato pie.the canned quilterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161381921874364319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-22620195380034081792011-10-21T00:25:49.893-04:002011-10-21T00:25:49.893-04:00Wow, thanks for the information. I think I will gi...Wow, thanks for the information. I think I will give these a try next year. I wonder if the slips can be started from organic store-bought sweets. My favorite breakfast is a roasted or boiled sweet potato with butter and plain tart yogurt. Yum. <br />By the way, I am the woman who lives in a yurt. A few years ago I commented here about life in a yurt. Three years later it is still marvelous!Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15511451294300128120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-6152387536087706652011-10-20T18:27:04.268-04:002011-10-20T18:27:04.268-04:00Those look great! My question is the same as Jerem...Those look great! My question is the same as Jeremy's...Lindahttp://lindercroft.com/blog/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-15320923566938213032011-10-20T15:52:08.853-04:002011-10-20T15:52:08.853-04:00Herrick, how many did you plant? Maybe the better ...Herrick, how many did you plant? Maybe the better question is how long was your row? I curious about yield.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />JeremyJeremyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06419252017608310718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-35230464947072996212011-10-20T14:55:38.602-04:002011-10-20T14:55:38.602-04:00Nice looking sweets there Herrick. I grew some las...Nice looking sweets there Herrick. I grew some last year and they were nice. I ordered mine from the Sand Hill Preservation Center since they have all kinds of heirloom sweet potatoes. They stress not planting them too early and that really worked out. Check them out.vdealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13980949311520793303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-41358586829245281082011-10-20T13:22:07.301-04:002011-10-20T13:22:07.301-04:00Wow those look great. Bake one of those up and ser...Wow those look great. Bake one of those up and server with butter, sugar and cinnamon. Nothing better!Matt Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02495128171377309246noreply@blogger.com