wybroncos
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Frost got my sweet potatoes, now what?

Hello, I got a very late start to my garden this year because we moved to our new place at the end of June. I have a ton of sweet potato plants that were looking very good until we had two nights that dipped below freezing. I tried covering them but I guess it did not work because all of the leaves turned black :| . I started digging them up but they are not anywhere close to being mature and some of them are about the diameter of small carrots. I am wondering if they are safe to eat or worth the trouble to dig all of them up? If I had gotten an earlier start I would have had a very nice crop so I am pretty bummed :( .

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I use the skinny ones up unpeeled right away while the skin is still tender -- they won't really sweeten up by curing so mostly just starchy, but good in soups and mixed and cooked with rice, etc.

It's not all for nothing though, the lush vines/foliage that have been frost killed and the pencil thin or skinnier tubers and roots that are not worth harvesting are great source of organic matter and nutrients that feed the soil when left in place over the winter to freeze and breakdown. Earthworms absolutely go crazy over them too and gather in great numbers.

I usually plant heavy feeder crop after sweet potatoes like squash and they do very well.

Think of it like you grew green manure and covercrop this year to enrich the soil.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Actually I used all the vines from one small patch to mulch the peach tree a few days ago.

wybroncos
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Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:16 am

Oh awesome thank you so much! I was pretty bummed thinking I would not be able to use any part of them. Thanks again!



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