Sweet Potatoes

[5-element]

Does anyone grow them, how, and where? I would love to try as I like them, but have not come across anyone in France who grows them. They are obviously not a very popular vegetable here, but I suspect it might still be possible to grow them rather than buy them at high prices in green grocers. I just love mashed sweet potatoes with a touch of molasses and another touch of orange juice.

In the south where I live, my soil is old vine-growing soil, very calcaire (limestone) but also quite heavy and with lots of stones: not sandy which is apparently the best soil for sweet potatoes.

 

I would love to know more, it is hard to find out with Google as all the sites are American or Australian, and therefore only partly apply! Thanks in advance, I hope there are other sweet potato fans out there!

[foxyloxy25]

Hi,

I am no gardening expert, but like you I am very fond of Sweet Potato, and had planned to plant some this year, but missed the planting time which according to various articles I have read is in May. For us in dept 81, I will probably sow the slips in the greenhouse in April.  The slips can be bought from Thompson & Morgan or  Graines Baumaux which has a really super catalogue (I have no connections to either Company and only a very amatuer gardener).  Have a look on the RHS website again a very helpful site, which will give you all the information.  Hope this helps you, next year we can compare growing experiences.

j 

[Meg]

I also want to grow sweet potatoes this year. Having just looked through my Graines Baumaux and T&M catalogues I can't find them. So did a forum search and found this thread! [blink]

Am i being a thicko!! Stoopid paper catalogue thingies, us youngsters can't cope with such old fashioned things. [Www]

[5-element]

Not in my TM catalogue either, Meg[:(]

So we're still none the wiser?

[Clair]

From a quick serach:

They're grown from cuttings

[quote]Pour cultiver la patate douce, il faut :

- mettre un tubercule dans du sable humide et laisser sortir les pousses en février/mars.

-

Quand elles ont 10 cm, tu les détaches délicatement de la patate et tu

les mets dans des godets (terreau) pour qu'elles racinent.

- quand les gelées ne sont plus à craindre, tu mets en terre.

C'est une plante qui réclame beaucoup de chaleur et d'eau.

Récolte mi septembre/octobre.[/quote]

http://www.farmradio.org/francais/radio-scripts/32-1script_fr.asp

http://translate.google.com/

http://www.monsterguide.net/how-to-grow-sweet-potatoes.shtml

[dragonrouge]

If you go to the Organic catalogue guys in the UK they are in Surrey you will find them.  They can be posted at your risk to France for they are supplied as 'slips' but should stand two to three days in the post.

[Berlioz]

They are really easy to sprout at home. I did this as the organic gardening catalogue would not deliver to me here.

I sprouted my own last year from a few supermarket bought ones. Some of the usual ones with orange flesh (which were bigger and more productive) and some with purple skin and white flesh.   I started the slips either half in a pot of compost for just in a shallow tray of water, in the propagator or on top of the fridge both, methods worked equally as well.  I potted them up in 3inc pots when about 6inches high and kept them in the warm. I planted out with my butternut plants in a bed with lots of compost and dug them up in October.  I was amazed at how many I had with some really large ones too!   The skins need to be 'cured' in a very warm place for a few days.  They kept for months in the garage (which isn't very cold)  They seem to need a lot of water as the ones furthest from the leaky pipe irrigation were all very small.  I am doing the same this year.

[5-element]

Thank you Berlioz, you do make it sound very easy... what do you mean by "cured", is it leaving them outside to dry out a bit, as you would with onions? Once planted out, do they need a lot of space (how much space between each plant - just in case I get lucky and get more than one going[:)] - But I will try your system - so basically they need lots of compost, and plenty of water.

I did sprout some once, but only for the plant, I was desperate to see some green while living in a very urban area...and haven't tried since. They did seem to sprout and grow pretty fast, but I never thought they could get productive that way too.

[Berlioz]

Yes, exactly like onions.  I left mine on the sunny covered patio for a week or so until the skins were not so soft.   I planted them out approx 2 feet apart in a raised bed and grew the vines up canes, they had pretty pink/lilac flowers too. The purple skinned ones didn't climb much.

[Meg]

Yep i'll have to to that then! I did want to buy some official known cultivar ones for this year then propagte from those for next year but shop bought ones will have to do. Still like to know where foxy saw them in the catalogues though!

Did read this the other day http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/vegging-out/growing-sweet-potatoes_12131.html

[mogs]

Is this a good time of year to try to sprout them? How long roughly do they take to sprout?  I had quite a bit of success last year with squash so it would be nice to give them a go too.

[5-element]

I think normally February is the best time, now March, well it might be OK. I have my 3 experimental sweet potatoes but cannot seem to get any sand to start sprouting them. Probalby leaving it too late??[:'(]

Please do tell us any results Mogs, it might be inspiring.

[Russethouse]

http://potatoes.thompson-morgan.com/product/aww3295/1

I thought of having a go at growing these, but I want to grow them in a container and I'm not sure how to go about it.

[5-element]

Unfortunately the T & M sweet potatoes are only available for the UK market. They don't send it outside.

RH, they like sandy soil, and lots of water. So I hear.

[dragonrouge]

The Organic catalogue people ship to Europe at your risk.  I am awaiting mine in May.

[Meg]

It actually worked!

Went from this back in March

[IMG]http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g65/louweezel/IMG_6391-1.jpg[/IMG]

To 4.5 kg! All for about a euro. 4 very productive plants were planted out early June, some monster sized ones from those! 4 more planted out later were not very productive, plus 2 in large pots, again not brilliantly productive but worked all the same, and were very pretty plants.

[IMG]http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g65/louweezel/IMG_7742-2-1.jpg[/IMG]

Next year i am going for mass production! [:)]

[Clair]

Well done Meg! A very impressive first crop.

I was just looking for some new recipes as I bought some from the greengrocer's this afternoon...

[Gardian]

Had some tonight.

• Par-boil a peeled & 'chunked' sweet potato for 3 mins max (one handful-sized potato is plenty for two)
• Finely slice & arrange upright in a small greased ovenproof dish (one of those little 15cm sq ones)
• Stuff some roughly cut shallot in to the gaps between the slices - not every gap, just as many as you can be bothered with
• Season & wack on some spots of butter
• In to a 170C oven for 40 mins-ish - re-spot with a bit more butter 10 mins before serving.

Enjoy!

 

[5-element]

Meg - OMG!!!! I am gobsmacked, and green with envy. Well done, that IS fantastic!!!!

.At least you show that it can be done.

My first attempt never did anything (perhaps the sweet potato which was supposed to grow shoots and roots like yours did, had been treated as it just did....nothing). Later on in the spring, as there were signs of life of another one, I planted it. Painstakingly, got a few shoots, which I lovingly nurtured. Last week I dug it all out, and there was....nothing! It was a mere experiment, as it was much too late in the year when I planted it (May I think).

Thank you for the photos, as it says it all. I wish you were my next door neighbour, as you could take me step by step through the whole process and show me a soil sample and exposure for where and how they were grown.

Anyway now, you have really proved that it works. Really great, you must be proud of yourself.

Meanwhile, I will still be getting my sweet potatoes at grossly inflated prices.[:(]

[dragonrouge]

Well done Meg go to the top of the class.  Have sent you a pm in that I do not wish to disclose in public my lack of expertise when compared to your results!

best wishes

[Clair]

[quote user="Gardian"]

Had some tonight.

• Par-boil a peeled & 'chunked' sweet potato for 3 mins max (one handful-sized potato is plenty for two)
• Finely slice & arrange upright in a small greased ovenproof dish (one of those little 15cm sq ones)
• Stuff some roughly cut shallot in to the gaps between the slices - not every gap, just as many as you can be bothered with
• Season & wack on some spots of butter
• In to a 170C oven for 40 mins-ish - re-spot with a bit more butter 10 mins before serving.

Enjoy![/quote]

Thanks Gardian [:)]

I'll do that with one and stick the other with the butternut squash, cauli and French beans for a veggie biriyani.

[Meg]

Meg's sweet potato growing directions: [8-|]

Firstly I got a shop

bought sweet pot. Check for an oldish looking one that looks like it may have

some shoots starting. This is a good way to check it hasn’t been treated, if it

has nothing will happen. Then I put it in a pint glass, most pointy end down,

with 4 cocktail sticks in the potato, to stop it falling over and wobbling

around in the glass. Then i filled about ¾ of the way up the potato with water.

It needs changing regularly. I kept it in the house, started it at the end of

Feb. Within a couple of weeks the shoots began to appear at the top and roots

at the bottom. When the shoots were around 10cm (April or May- I can’t remember)

I detached them and planted each one in a small pot of compost. They rooted

amazing quickly and with 100% success. I then kept them in outside in one of

those plastic mini greenhouses, and gradually hardened them off outside during

the day. Then I planted them out early June. We had a very early frost last

week which killed off the plants planted outside; so I dug them up at the

weekend otherwise I may have dug them up a bit later, as usually our first

frost isn’t until early Nov.

I also tried another

shop bought one and put it 3/4 in a pot of compost and kept it moist but it didn’t

work, I think it had been treated.  I'll do just water again next time as its  nice to watch the roots.

You can try and take

cuttings from the plants for next years crop but I decided to sprout them from

the potato again, as less hassle, and was fun to watch and really pretty. I shall

try and save one of this year’s, to guarantee it hasn’t been treated.

Dead easy and a

bargain and no air miles!!!

I expect a bit of a contest next year!  Any takers?! [:D]

Clair, they make yummy crisp type thingies......sliced thinly coated with olive oil, seasoning/herbage, (chilli flakes are nice too) and cooked on a baking tray at the top of a hot oven. They are as versatile as..... a potato, plus low GI (good carbs).  [:)]

[Postie]

Hi Meg

I've just spotted your post - FANTASTIQUE!!! I also tried to grow sweet pots from a shop bought pot but it was a dismal failure. I ended up with a glass full of soft squidgy goo - not nice at all. After seeing your success story & taking your advise, I will definitely give them a go again next year.

A little contest,  pourqoi pas,  I'm available! (me thinks I might regret all this bravado!  [Www])

Mrs Postie

ps - T & M slips are a snip at about £12 for 10, what a bargain!  [6]

[Llantony]

But they are quite popular as they are available in many supermarkets and on market stalls.

[Berlioz]

I have just harvested mine, grown in big pots as we moved house in June. they were a bit tangled up but I did get some big ones.  I will be growing a lot more next year.  I washed the supermarket ones in water before sprouting them rubbing very, very gently and then half buried in compost or half submerged in a shallow tray of water, no cocktail sticks. I had a purple skinned one and a orange fleshed one. I gently pulled the 'slips' off when about 9" tall, got about 10 from each potato, put them in a glass of water until I could see roots, then potted up and hardened off and would have planted out at the end of March if I had not been moving house.  The one half in wet compost was easier as I didn't have to remember to keep changing the water. Also they don't like being cold so perhaps the people who didn't get good results used ones that had been in the fridge perhaps that is why they didn't sprout? They need to be kept at room temperature as they are a tropical plant.

I think they are actually one of the easiest crops I have grown, there are no pests etc they just like a lot of water! 

We like them cooked like roast potatoes with garlic, olive oil and rosemary, baked with sour cream & chives or mashed on 'not shepherds' or fish pie!