Fall Harvest photos

[applestar]

Apples and Sweet Potatoes:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5658-1.jpg[/img]

Pole beans, Edamame, Red Sweet Pepper, last of the Eggplants and last yellow squash, Red ripe Jalapenos and a tomato, last Red Burgandy Okra (except for the big one being left on the plant for seeds):
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5682.jpg[/img]

Added some apples:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5684.jpg[/img]

Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and tomatoes from the last two volunteer vines + Apples and Edamame
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5714.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5715.jpg[/img]

Last but not least, what I found when I persisted in following a sweet potato tuber
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5713.jpg[/img]

[jal_ut]

Nice harvest.

[NatGreeneVeg]

Beautiful!

[opabinia51]

I've never had luck growing sweet potatoes, what is your trick?

[applestar]

I couldn't tell you. This was my first year growing them. I grew slips from grocery store (well, Whole Foods) potatoes saved from Christmas time when they sold different varieties labeled. I started the slips (I.e. stuck them whole 1/2 in water) around mid-March but they didn't start growing until April when temps got a bit warmer. Putting the jars inside empty black nursery pots in the sun seemed to increase warmth in the root zone. Higher temp definitely helped (late April sudden heatwave in the high 80's prompted amazing growths). I pulled off slips as they grew out to 4"+ and put them in their own jars of water to grow roots, so when it was time to plant the slips I had tons of rooted slips.

I planted them in raised beds. My main SP bed this year was a 4'x4'x18"H bed, but the slips planted in 6"H bed where I planted tomatoes last year and garlic last fall-this summer did equally well or even better (the bed itself goes down about 6" for total of about 12" deep fluffy bed -- I think the tomatoes, moles, and earthworms did all the digging. Spring of 2008, this "bed" was lawn that I sheet mulched into a brand new veg garden). The extra-long double-tuber grew from a leftover slip planted in the last available space I could think of at the end of the Espalier fence row where a Juneberry failed to survive the winter.

The varieties you see are Garnet (red skin with orange flesh) and Hannah (cream skin with yellow dry flesh -- I like this one better for baked sweet potatoes).

[gixxerific]

Nice harvest, very colorful too. So when dinner?

I planted my sweets from plants. Next year I will try to do slips If the ones I have make it that long. Apple did you add soil to the base of the sweets throughout the season or not? I did on my one plant and it outgrew and outproduced the rest by itself. I'm not sure if it was the hilling or just better soil.

[Ozark Lady]

In 2009, I had difficulty finding sweet potatoes.
I tried the grocery store ones, they wouldn't sprout, seems they were sprayed with a sprout inhibitor.
I tried vendors, all sold out. Due to wet weather they had limited quantities.
Finally, a friend in Texas... dry... sent me some vines that were about 3 inches long... but late, very late.
They took the trip well. I planted them, they took off, and then we ran into the coldest August that I ever remember... they just sat there, didn't grow, didn't die.
I finally dug them, and stuck them in flower pots, and they are now a houseplant... I plan to start cuttings from these.
I also bought a case of fresh ones from the local fruit stand that is not sprayed to prevent sprouting... so I have to keep these cool.

I would say, your sweet potatoes just needed more time, and warmer temperatures. They had the length, and were about to start filling out and turning into real beauties, but the cool summer hurt them alot.

I would plant those roots and give them all winter to grow you some foliage and get a jump on next season.