This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
peas planted!
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Tuesday, February 18, 2014
sweet potato sprouts
I count about 17 sprouts coming along. Some really small still. Last year I planted about 30, but they were too close. So about 20 should be good this year.
That's so cool! I am from New England too, and would like to plant sweet potato this year first time. When you started them? My organic sw. potato does not show any roots in water over a week! What I am doing wrong?
A week is not very long for a sleeping sweet potato! Be patient.
I started 8 weeks ago, Dec 23. They take a while to get going. You don't want to put it under water because it will rot. I laid the potatoes in a glass tray mostly covered plastic wrap and kept a bit of water in the bottom. I put it in a really warm spot - 80*F. You can also just go ahead and put the potatoes on their side in soil, with half sticking out, and keep the soil moist - and WARM.
I only try to sprout sweet potatoes that already have a small sprout. They look at me strange in the supermarket I'm sure, as I check the potatoes for sprouts. The ones I have this year are all from my own harvest last year. I imagine the supermarket ones are treated with sprout inhibitors, so you really need to be patient or try to find ones that have sprouted.
I count about 17 sprouts coming along. Some really small still. Last year I planted about 30, but they were too close. So about 20 should be good this year.
That's so cool! I am from New England too, and would like to plant sweet potato this year first time. When you started them? My organic sw. potato does not show any roots in water over a week! What I am doing wrong?
ReplyDeleteA week is not very long for a sleeping sweet potato! Be patient.
ReplyDeleteI started 8 weeks ago, Dec 23. They take a while to get going. You don't want to put it under water because it will rot. I laid the potatoes in a glass tray mostly covered plastic wrap and kept a bit of water in the bottom. I put it in a really warm spot - 80*F. You can also just go ahead and put the potatoes on their side in soil, with half sticking out, and keep the soil moist - and WARM.
I only try to sprout sweet potatoes that already have a small sprout. They look at me strange in the supermarket I'm sure, as I check the potatoes for sprouts. The ones I have this year are all from my own harvest last year. I imagine the supermarket ones are treated with sprout inhibitors, so you really need to be patient or try to find ones that have sprouted.
Sweet potatoes from the supermarket are not treated with sprout inhibitor. Potatoes on the other hand are treated with sprout inhibitor.
ReplyDelete