Cucumbers and tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
P.S. Wish you were here! It would beat a lousy t-shirt!
Showing posts with label growing sweet potatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growing sweet potatoes. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2012
Postcard from the Family Garden
Cucumbers and tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
P.S. Wish you were here! It would beat a lousy t-shirt!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sweet Potatoes - Update
These are the sweet potatoes 'Georgia Jet'. Ordered from Jung's, I received 15 slips two days ago. They looked pretty bad. As you may remember, I couldn't tell what these dead things were when they arrived two days ago. They spent a couple hours in water and then were potted up in compost and placed under the lights on the heat mat.
I will let them root up in the pots and then plant them out in the family garden, probably in about 10 days.
'Georgia Jet is supposed to be the best for our climate here in central Wisconsin. Typical yield is 5 to 10 pounds per slip. Our goal is 50 pounds from the 15 slips.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Family Garden and Potager Update
Well, over in the family garden we had some frost. It nailed the tomatillos we had planted there. I'm pretty sure they are goners, but we'll wait and see as we do have some space. It also nipped the very top leaves of the basil, not a big deal. We have more basil, but only one tomatillo plant growing in the potager.
The asparagus bed is sending up its first tiny purple spears. That is pretty exciting. Where I see top growth, I know the roots are making themselves at home as well.
The 'Reliance' seedless table grapes are opening leaf buds. Pretty exciting to see growth on something that is just twisty dry sticks!
And my brother scared up the first rat snake, of what my sister-in-law informs me is an infestation, but so far I have not seen. Sister-in-law says the snake was four feet long and a bit bigger in diameter than a garden hose. That's a good sized snake! I hope it works on the rodent problem of which I have seen more than a bit of evidence.
The weeds are starting to come, mostly grassy weeds, as are the potatoes! The radishes are up, The 'Early Sunglow' sweetcorn has sprouted. This is a type that does well in cooler wetter ground. It looks like a good germination level. So far, with its reported early ripening it looks like the easy winner for our future plantings as well.
We planted the the blueberries in an area that will be enclosed from rodents and birds. We amended the bed with donkey dung, compost, shredded paper, and peat moss. My two-year-old nephews found the spreading of the bags of confetti-like paper definitely the garden chore they have excelled at to-date.
On each edge of what will be an enclosed area for the blueberries and hazelnuts, we laid down black landscape fabric. Sister-in-law cut holes into it and planted tomatoes. The plan is to use the blueberry caging to tie up our tomatoes, saving us the effort and expense of caging them.
In another 500 square foot area that has been covered by black landscape fabric, we planted the first of our peppers: sweet red 'Carmen', jalapeno, and some Cayenne.
Finally, the sweet potato 'Georgia Jet' slips arrived from Jung's. They looked wilted and dead on arrival. I got home at 8 P.M. last evening to be greeted by these dead things standing upright in a bowl of water. My son had gotten the mail and was intrigued by the the small box labeled 'Georgia Jet.' Not sure what he thought they were, he did do the right thing, I believe, by giving them plant CPR. I, in turn, potted them in 3" x 3" x 6" deep pots of compost and watered them and set them on my heat mat. Knowing they like completely warm soil, a week in nice, fluffy compost on my heat mats and under the lights will be like old home week, compared to the cool nights and indifferent daytime temps we have been blessed with here in central Wisconsin.
On the fruit tree scene in my potager, the apricot 'Moorpark' has several half a dime size apricots. I did not hand pollinate this year. The tree was loaded with buds, but I would guess at this time less than a quarter were polinated. That will probably save me thinning fruit. My 'Seckl' pear is boasting handfuls of rust-colored pre-pears at this point, all the petals having dropped last week. My 'Honeycrisp' is in full bloom, or I should say 1/3 bloom; as it appears that cold snap got some of my buds on the north side where it was not protected as it was on the south side by my massive 'Diablo' ninebark. When 75% of its petals have dropped I will spray both it and the pear with Malathion to deter coddling moth. There is literature out there stating a dormant oil in the winter and two well-timed application of Malathion might be a preferred method of preventing the pests most apt to get my apples.
The asparagus bed is sending up its first tiny purple spears. That is pretty exciting. Where I see top growth, I know the roots are making themselves at home as well.
The 'Reliance' seedless table grapes are opening leaf buds. Pretty exciting to see growth on something that is just twisty dry sticks!
And my brother scared up the first rat snake, of what my sister-in-law informs me is an infestation, but so far I have not seen. Sister-in-law says the snake was four feet long and a bit bigger in diameter than a garden hose. That's a good sized snake! I hope it works on the rodent problem of which I have seen more than a bit of evidence.
The weeds are starting to come, mostly grassy weeds, as are the potatoes! The radishes are up, The 'Early Sunglow' sweetcorn has sprouted. This is a type that does well in cooler wetter ground. It looks like a good germination level. So far, with its reported early ripening it looks like the easy winner for our future plantings as well.
We planted the the blueberries in an area that will be enclosed from rodents and birds. We amended the bed with donkey dung, compost, shredded paper, and peat moss. My two-year-old nephews found the spreading of the bags of confetti-like paper definitely the garden chore they have excelled at to-date.
On each edge of what will be an enclosed area for the blueberries and hazelnuts, we laid down black landscape fabric. Sister-in-law cut holes into it and planted tomatoes. The plan is to use the blueberry caging to tie up our tomatoes, saving us the effort and expense of caging them.
In another 500 square foot area that has been covered by black landscape fabric, we planted the first of our peppers: sweet red 'Carmen', jalapeno, and some Cayenne.
Finally, the sweet potato 'Georgia Jet' slips arrived from Jung's. They looked wilted and dead on arrival. I got home at 8 P.M. last evening to be greeted by these dead things standing upright in a bowl of water. My son had gotten the mail and was intrigued by the the small box labeled 'Georgia Jet.' Not sure what he thought they were, he did do the right thing, I believe, by giving them plant CPR. I, in turn, potted them in 3" x 3" x 6" deep pots of compost and watered them and set them on my heat mat. Knowing they like completely warm soil, a week in nice, fluffy compost on my heat mats and under the lights will be like old home week, compared to the cool nights and indifferent daytime temps we have been blessed with here in central Wisconsin.
On the fruit tree scene in my potager, the apricot 'Moorpark' has several half a dime size apricots. I did not hand pollinate this year. The tree was loaded with buds, but I would guess at this time less than a quarter were polinated. That will probably save me thinning fruit. My 'Seckl' pear is boasting handfuls of rust-colored pre-pears at this point, all the petals having dropped last week. My 'Honeycrisp' is in full bloom, or I should say 1/3 bloom; as it appears that cold snap got some of my buds on the north side where it was not protected as it was on the south side by my massive 'Diablo' ninebark. When 75% of its petals have dropped I will spray both it and the pear with Malathion to deter coddling moth. There is literature out there stating a dormant oil in the winter and two well-timed application of Malathion might be a preferred method of preventing the pests most apt to get my apples.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Growing Sweet Potatoes
I monitor what people are looking for when they access my blog. I like to see what is driving other gardeners and wanna-be gardeners. I mentioned I will be growing sweet potatoes this year and that got a hit. Talking to my sister-in-law, with whom I will be gardening this year, I realized that while she and her boys love sweet potatoes, she didn't realize that they could be grown here.
So as I have some experience growing sweet potatoes here in central Wisconsin, I will relate what I know.
It starts out with, they like it hot!
Last year, A friend and I grew them from tubers. I think she had okay yields. As they were grow at her place I did not participate in the digging, I only know what she related to me. The vines were incredible. They looked very healthy. I do not know which variety, nor do I think does she. They were planted after the first week in June.
The key is sweet potatoes like fully warmed soil. That means night temps are above 50 degrees, and I would assume the soil temps are getting close to 70 degrees.
A commercial grower of sod and annuals got a USDA grant to grow them from slips the year previous and had a conversation with me about it in early May. They were a bit concerned as no one grows them here and growing them from slips seemed a bit chancy.
This same grower thinks nothing of pumping out flats of ornamental sweet potato vines from cuttings. I pointed that out and suddenly a light came on. The ground needs to be warm. They need adequate watering during the rotting in, but not so much during any cool snaps that they are set up for rot.
The other thing I would mention is from my reading, I believe 'Georgia Jet' is probably a better yield and more acclimated to northern climates. So I would try that variety first.
If you over fertilize them with nitrogen they are going to grow vine. The tuber production is going to be better if you have adequate phosphate available for your plants. That's the middle number in the "x-x-x" on fertilizer bags.
Today I intend to prune grapes and take pictures while I do, so hopefully I'll get my blog on grape pruning up tomorrow.
Have a sunny spring day!
So as I have some experience growing sweet potatoes here in central Wisconsin, I will relate what I know.
It starts out with, they like it hot!
Last year, A friend and I grew them from tubers. I think she had okay yields. As they were grow at her place I did not participate in the digging, I only know what she related to me. The vines were incredible. They looked very healthy. I do not know which variety, nor do I think does she. They were planted after the first week in June.
The key is sweet potatoes like fully warmed soil. That means night temps are above 50 degrees, and I would assume the soil temps are getting close to 70 degrees.
A commercial grower of sod and annuals got a USDA grant to grow them from slips the year previous and had a conversation with me about it in early May. They were a bit concerned as no one grows them here and growing them from slips seemed a bit chancy.
This same grower thinks nothing of pumping out flats of ornamental sweet potato vines from cuttings. I pointed that out and suddenly a light came on. The ground needs to be warm. They need adequate watering during the rotting in, but not so much during any cool snaps that they are set up for rot.
The other thing I would mention is from my reading, I believe 'Georgia Jet' is probably a better yield and more acclimated to northern climates. So I would try that variety first.
If you over fertilize them with nitrogen they are going to grow vine. The tuber production is going to be better if you have adequate phosphate available for your plants. That's the middle number in the "x-x-x" on fertilizer bags.
Today I intend to prune grapes and take pictures while I do, so hopefully I'll get my blog on grape pruning up tomorrow.
Have a sunny spring day!
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