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Oz

I PLANTED SOME S.P. PLANTS.
I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT SWEET POTATOS.
WHEN DO YOU LOOK FOR "FRUIT"?
1ST YEAR/2ND?

11/15/2004 11:49:34 AM

Ga.

When did you plant? Should get potatoes first year if I aint mistaken....

11/15/2004 12:19:52 PM

The Garden State

I have tried my hand at sweet potatoes the past few years. You should be looking for fruit now before the first hard frost sets in. Sweet potatoe plants will not live through the winter! The first frost will kill the vegetation. I just harvested mine last week and boy were they big and sweet. They blow away the store bought potatoes.

11/15/2004 8:08:07 PM

New Brunswick

I wonder if sweet potatoes require a long growing season...hmmm funny I have never heard of these being grown locally....and this part of the country, (New Brunswick, Canada) is known for its potatoes. Has anyone ever grown them here?

11/16/2004 11:21:12 AM

Montoursville, PA

If there are deer in the area forget sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are brouse of first choic for any self respecting deer.

Give the words (sweet potatoes) to Google and read up. There are tons of good advisorys on line.

11/16/2004 11:47:42 AM

Oz

desert...my taters grew sloooooow all(hot)summer.
When it cooled,, wham they took off!

11/16/2004 3:35:48 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

I would love to grow any kind of taters where do I start?

11/16/2004 6:29:46 PM

Wichita, KS

I'm with Alexdad...

11/16/2004 11:10:39 PM

New Brunswick

Alex and Mr. Sprout....Just plow up some ground, harrow, fertilize, horse manure is good.....and make some rows at least two feet apart...the more dirt in your row the better. Now go and get some certified potato seed. Early and mid season types are good....check to find out what kinds are available. Take your potato seed ( usually smaller potatos) and cut with knife in chunks...making sure each chunk has one or more little sprout eyes...sprouts are good. (I used some seed with just one eye and they skipped some...so the more eyes the better.Place sprouts up. Plant 4 to 6 inches deep about a foot apart. Watch the plants like a hawk...the moment they come up there will be bugs to eat them. Dust with Rotenone. Keep watch for potato bugs and pick them by hand. (I drown em in water.) They need to be picked daily. When they blossem, count 3 weeks or so and then check taters for size. Oh yes, make sure you hoe up around them as your taters will sunburn if the sun can get at em. Pile hay or straw around the base of plants for best protection. P.S. Cats are good, as moles and mice like spuds as much as we do. We grew a winters supply in just 4 rows!..and the rows were not all that long either. Store in a cool dark airy place in your basement. Lime will cause scabs so probably best not to lime ground. Scabs are harmless but don't look so good.

11/20/2004 6:52:09 PM

Wichita, KS

DS,

Does this work with sweet potatoes, too?

11/21/2004 1:32:59 AM

[email protected]

It isn't as efficient as buying seed Potatoes like DS does, but my wife found a type of Tater (don't know the name) that she really liked at the grocery store. She went back & bought another bag & let them sit in a cool dark place until the eyes sprouted. I didn't get as many plantable eyes, but we did harvest a fine crop with full rows. I followed the same procedures DS outlined.

Garden fresh Potatoes are so much better tasting than store bought it was months before we could get my son to eat store bought spuds again. The variety might have been the taste thing too. I wish I knew what it was.

11/21/2004 8:01:31 AM

New Brunswick

I have a pail of small potatoes that I am tempted to plant next year. They are either Yukon Gold or Fundys. I will know when I cut them in half as the Golds are literally gold inside. I have never seen sweet potatoes for sale as seed. Wonder what the store bought ones would do in this cold Cdn. climate? Tremor...is there a way to tell a plantable eye from the others? (Maybe that is why some of mine did not take?)

11/22/2004 6:59:16 PM

New Brunswick

Mr. Sprout...good question....I just may try a store bought eating type sweet potato in the spring just to see what will happen.

11/22/2004 7:01:34 PM

Indiana

Put the sweet taters in a vase or jar with on end in water and they will start vines with small roots. Then break the vines off the tater and plant them. That is how you start sweet taters. Or buy plants from any nursery or seed catalog. Plant them in a mound, plant them when you plant your pumpkins in the spring the frost will kill them.
Steve

11/22/2004 7:36:02 PM

Oz

I pulled the taters last night,,,good thing rain all day today.No frost yet.
I micro-waved one,added real butter,,,,yum

11/23/2004 11:28:52 AM