As part of our experiments in growing food to see how self-sufficient we can become, we are growing a lot of crops that are not typical for the "normal" New England home garden. Some have been wildly successful, others only marginally so. One (okra), was a totally and repeatedly dismal failure. Just the vast variety of things we've tried has been a plus, as eating widely is really the most healthful and interesting thing to do.Sweet potatoes are definitely on our list to try. They are grown from slips (pieces of their vine), not chunks or whole potatoes like "Irish" potatoes (which are really South American in origin... go figure!). These have proved impossible to find locally, so it was going to be phone or internet order, or grow our own slips, which we were not prepared to do, given that we wanted varieties that did well in northern gardens, and the grocery store provides generally unknown varieties. We also didn't want to grow what we could get in the grocery store, preferring to explore a broader set of options. Since I generally regard what is sold in the grocery store to be selected for ease of the grower's and grocer's handling -- not for maximum deliciousness or nutritional quality -- we had to get our hands on some from other sources.
After 3 million phone calls, this week I finally received the sweet potato slips I ordered in January, which was the first (but not last) time I asked for them to arrive in early -- originally April 1 to be planted in the greenhouse to give them a longer season in the ground. On the plus side, these slips had some roots on them, which should start the plants on their growth more quickly. On the additionally negative side, they shorted me 25% on the quantity of one of the two varieties I choose!
It turns out that planting the sweet 'taters in the greenhouse was not to be for a
variety of reasons in addition to their late arrival.Though I had held open a bed just for them, it is in the area of the
greenhouse where the plastic cover is sill intact so as to keep Rich's
household carpentry projects and tools dry. It not only has the 2
original layers of plastic over it, but 2 additional layers from the
now-open end that we flipped on top. This is enough plastic that during
much of the day there is a sharp-lined shadow falling on this
not-to-be-sweet potato bed. Which I am quite surprised to see. This is great for the bed beside it since it's all planted in greens and it seems to be extending their season of tenderness and sweetness. But sweet 'taters need to think they're in the south, so that much reduced light is just not going to cut it. But we now know where we can plant cooler-temperature plants to perform their best, so this, too, was a positive experience.
The planting instructions included with the slips interesting tips for northern
gardeners that I wanted to pass along here. They recommend forming
12" raised rows into which to plant the slips. Then cover the bed
with black plastic to keep the soil extra warm (we used black, recycled paper that comes in a roll and is sold specifically for gardens). They also suggested
planting at different distances to see what worked best, suggesting 12,
15, and 18". The claim is that with the advent of these planting
methods plus varieties more suited for northern climes, the yields are
nearly double, which is almost equal those in the deep south.We'll see.
