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Post by macmex on May 25, 2023 5:15:17 GMT -6
That's enough for a good crop! I wish more folk tried growing their own slips. It would go far in helping to preserve more varieties. Maybe, today, I might get my first sweet potatoes slips planted. We'll see.
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Post by chrysanthemum on May 25, 2023 6:03:57 GMT -6
The sweet potato starts I planted from volunteers are doing well. I did lose one of the smallest early on, but I’ve replaced that from another volunteer. I think sweet potatoes are amazing in their ability to survive having a piece of vine pulled off from a mother plant and stuck straight away into the soil and actually beginning to grow. I just have to make sure to keep them well watered at first, but then once they’re rooted in, they go about their merry way and give a a crop of delicious new roots a few months later. They really are amazing.
Woodeye, last year I had a planter that I used for growing sweet potato slips. When I was done supplying both my neighbors’ garden and my own with slips, I still had a bunch on the mother roots. They were so lush and healthy that I couldn’t bear not to let them grow, but they were crowded in the tub. My husband helped me dump it out at a spot in our backyard that needed some soil and could benefit from ground cover. I let them grow all summer and ended up with a nice little crop at the end from that place, probably a better crop there than from the slips I planted in the garden. [Last summer was too hot and dry even for sweet potatoes, I think, despite my watering. I got a crop, but it wasn’t big.]. Some of my volunteers this year have come up in that spot.
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Post by woodeye on May 25, 2023 6:44:55 GMT -6
macmex, I know I have several varieties planted, just don't know right now what all I have planted (except for the Barberman & Ginseng Orange I got from you). If they produce all right I'll take pictures of the resulting sweet potatoes and hopefully figure out which varieties I ended up with. Between you and other sweet potato gurus here on the forum, hopefully I'll know the varieties for next year. I will definitely be growing my own slips each year now, it was so surprising at how simple it is with the tub and potting mix method. Many Thanks!
chrysanthemum, that's an excellent idea about growing out the leftover slips. I have room in the Iron Curtain for that, in fact I'll take care of that chore today. Thank You!
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Post by macmex on May 25, 2023 7:03:08 GMT -6
For sure! Even here, in Tahlequah, I am safe planting new slips until after the first week of July. This is a real food producing crop.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on May 25, 2023 10:31:38 GMT -6
Fantabulous! Cannot have too many slips or too many sweet potatoes.
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Post by chrysanthemum on May 26, 2023 6:35:17 GMT -6
Just reading this thread is making me hungry for sweet potatoes.
I’m familiar with Ginseng Orange as I believe that’s what my mother grows and sent me slips of a couple years ago. If I recall correctly, it produces slips easily, maybe even coming out of the ground at harvest time with some new ones starting.
I’m not familiar with Barberman. I’ll have to look that one up, as I always enjoy reading about different varieties.
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Post by macmex on May 26, 2023 7:43:06 GMT -6
Barberman is on par with Ginseng Orange, though when cooked, it has a somewhat different texture. In the past I've mixed the two up, while in storage, bedding them, and then separating by their distinct leaves.
This is Ginseng Orange.
Barberman has the more common, heart shaped leaf.
I obtained both, at the same time, from Gary Schaum (Duck Creek Farms, Mounds, OK). He simply sent me some roots, commenting that these were exceptionally good varieties, especially in terms of getting good slip production.
Another, similar variety, which I really like is Hopi.
Hopi has red wine colored stems and produces a nice crop of traditional coppery skinned, orange fleshed roots. It's "distinguishing mark" among coppery colored varieties, is that the roots have a slight reddish tint to them and the stems are always dark red wine colored. It's easy to overlook these varieties if you're into novelty, but they are all three, very good.
Last fall I lost Hopi due to forgetfulness and failure in organization. I really need to cut back on varieties anyway, yet in conversing with a slip customer (a regular) I lamented having lost this one. Though my records didn't indicate I had sent him Hopi, I had, and a few weeks later I received a box with some roots, which are now sprouting nicely. Though I should be cutting back, I have to admit that I'm happy to have my old friend back again.
As I lose varieties, I probably will let some go. Have to cut back, but... it's hard. Every variety is unique. It will take more than a lifetime to really become acquainted with what I have.
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Post by woodeye on May 26, 2023 8:02:19 GMT -6
macmex,
I appreciate the info. I remember that beautiful picture of the sweet potatoes in the garden bed, but had forgotten what kind of sweet potato they were. I'll definitely do my best to keep them going, and as I have learned this year, it doesn't take very many sweet potatoes to make all the slips I'll need for next year.
Without this forum and it's knowledgeable members, I would probably never tried growing my own slips. Thank You!
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Post by chrysanthemum on May 29, 2023 15:24:10 GMT -6
Those Hopi sweet potatoes look beautiful, macmex. Your posts almost always tempt me to try something new. I had my camera in the garden and thought I’d post a picture of how my sweet potatoes that I planted from volunteer shoots earlier this month are coming along. I’m quite pleased with how they root themselves in and grow so well down here.
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Post by woodeye on Jun 15, 2023 6:16:54 GMT -6
I took a picture of my sweet potato row this morning, although I don't yet have them all mulched. I have the mulch in stock now, but I have company here and not sure that I will be able to get them mulched for a day or two.
The slips that I got from macmex have now taken root and are growing. They are the plants starting at the lower left of the picture. After those 12 plants are the various slips I started from sweet potatoes I got from june & Frosty. At the far end of the row is the extra slips all mass planted.
In my opinion, so far so good, but only time will tell how things work out for a decent harvest...
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Jun 15, 2023 11:45:12 GMT -6
Looks fabulous, Woodeye. Sweet potatoes adore mulch but they produce if off to a good start and those look great!
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Post by woodeye on Jun 15, 2023 20:20:35 GMT -6
Thank you, FrostyTurnip.
The 2 kale plants you gave me are in the tomato row, they are the 4th and 5th plant from the bottom right corner of the picture. They probably thought I was never going to get around to setting them out, but they have now taken root and are growing happily. I staked them, along with all the pepper and tomato plants this afternoon in case a storm blows through this evening.
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Post by rdback on Jun 16, 2023 9:20:50 GMT -6
Lookin' good woodeye! I see you've still got my chair at the far end. That's where I'd be parked, watching you work, haha. You do have an umbrella, don't you?
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Post by woodeye on Jun 16, 2023 9:59:37 GMT -6
Lookin' good woodeye ! I see you've still got my chair at the far end. That's where I'd be parked, watching you work, haha. You do have an umbrella, don't you?
hahaha, that's a great idea, rdback. I don't have an umbrella to be used exclusively for the Iron Curtain oversight committee (you) , but I can get one.😊
When I had the end portion of the Iron Curtain removed so that I could use the tractor and tiller inside there, I had moved the chair outside the fence because I didn't want to run over it. I got the tilling done, put the end portion back in place, then noticed that the chair was still sitting outside the fence. The entryway gate is on the other end of the Iron Curtain, so I had to carry the chair all the way to the gate, enter the Iron Curtain, then carry it all the way back to where it is sitting in the picture. That mistake caused 134 feet of extra walking distance while carrying a chair, all of which was done manually. (gasp)😒😄
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Post by macmex on Jun 26, 2023 12:49:06 GMT -6
I just finished getting my sweet potatoes into the ground! Here's a link to see the whole saga. I posted it on the Sweet Potato Network. I took today off work in order to work in the garden. Need to get back out there instead of "writing about it."
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