The great Sweet Potato experiment of 2012

Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:15 pm

Some of you may have seen a previous post I made debunking the myth of starting sweet potato's in a a glass of water on a window sill. The ulterior method I used was in moist soil on a heating mat. Which in my experience was much better. When I did that I didn't do them side by side. Although the heating mat subject way surpassed the window sill subject by leaps and bounds.

This year I am starting both types at the same time. Hoping not to make myself a liar. :lol:

I started these on 4/14/2012. One on a sunny window sill the other on a heating mat. Both of these had tiny sprouts on them for weeks now. The window sill one has a slight advantage since the heating mat subject has withered a bit.

Well here it goes only time will tell. I will keep this updated with at least the final results. Enjoy.

Dono

Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:15 pm

i just bought 3 different kinds of sweet potato at a farmers market. a cool purple one from japan, these really cool looking long white ones, and another purple but with white flesh that is supposed to be the best.

Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:47 pm

I would like to try the purples some day. These here are third generation potatoes. I just keep getting more slips of them every year.

Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:59 pm

You are so lucky to be able to grow such long season veggies. I tried one year to grow sweet potato vines for a container garden and it was never warm enough all summer for it to get going.

Until the internet I had no idea how limited our summers were......had no idea how short our season is. Going south for the winters has just really pressed that point home........you have an amazing season. Enjoy!

I'll watch to see what comes of your sweet potato experiment.

Sun Apr 15, 2012 10:57 pm

oh, we know what'll happen...

(soil here, too)

Mon Apr 16, 2012 1:05 am

Timlin

Do you have a skylight?
Try growing the vine where can touch soil in a box.
I've not tried thise, but I bet it works.
A friend had an indoor vine(a childs school project), they kept it going for more than 10 years. The actual vine must have been hundreds of feet long.
Its amazing whta they will do indoors.

Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:05 am

2cents wrote:Timlin

Do you have a skylight?
Try growing the vine where can touch soil in a box.
I've not tried thise, but I bet it works.
A friend had an indoor vine(a childs school project), they kept it going for more than 10 years. The actual vine must have been hundreds of feet long.
Its amazing whta they will do indoors.

Was that a tuber producing sweet potato or an ornamental plant?

Mon Apr 16, 2012 1:49 pm

Last year after digging my sweet potatoes I had several small finger size potatoes they are excellent for planting. I poke the whole potato in the garden soil and they come up when the weather is right. My plants are about 6" tall.

Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:05 pm

I never use a whole sweet potato. I just cut off an inch or so and put the cut end in the water held with toothpicks. When the shoots are about six inches long and weather is right I plant them in the garden.

Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:27 pm

gixxerific

Our friend said the plant was from a grocery store bought "Sweet Potatoe"
It could have been a Yam, I don't know. Used the tooth pick in water method, as a second grade science project, child brought his home.
The plant(vine) wrapped around the kitchen several times on shelving(built for the growing vines).
They said there was plenty of vine damage over the years, but mentioned the plant was over 10 years old. It looked like my sweet potatoe vines in my garden.

Tue May 08, 2012 1:43 am

Well 23 day's later and yes there is a difference. The heating pad moist soil is killing the 'glass-o-water in a window sill' method, at least for me.

No need for explain the pics tell the story. The bigger ceramic planter with 3 tators in it was planted a day after these. It is way kicking butt, the same thing happened last year. Maybe that is the magic Sweet Potato Planter.

A picture tells a thousand words.

Later

Dono