My husband and I love them but I've never tried to grow them before. So I thought, well, why not give it a shot. I have an empty garden bed just waiting to grow something!
I bought my slips online from a Tennessee company called, George's Plant Farm. They seemed like a reputable company, had good reviews and so I took a chance and ordered 12 slips of the Vardeman variety. The description said "Ideal garden and small space, bush type. Vines good for small gardens." Well, that's me!
So when the plants arrived, I set them in a glass of water on the windowsill for about a week, letting them perk up and grow a few more stronger roots. Then this morning, I dug a few holes in my garden and set the plants. And I guess we'll just see. It's so hot these days that I hope the plants don't burn up.
little blurry image...sorry :/
From what I've read, sweet potatoes need a long growing season (90-120 days)...well, we've got that!
As I was getting that garden bed ready, I noticed three cantaloupe seedlings beginning to germinate! I planted those weeks ago and nothing germinated so I thought I had a bad batch of seeds (GRRRR) and dug them all up. Well, I guess there were a few that were determined to grow, so that's cool!
As I was working, I noticed this little guy watching me intently, remaining very still. I'm not sure what kind of lizard it is, but he's pretty cool. I love seeing these little critters in and around my garden. They eat all the nasty bugs that feed on my plants. He's more than welcome to stay and hang out :)
Anyway, this garden bed will be very interesting to watch as these little sweet potato and cantaloupe seedlings begin to grow!
I love experimenting with new stuff! So far this year, all the new varieties of vegetables I've planted are doing well, even my peppers! As always, I'll keep you posted!
Hope they turn out to be good! I love Sweet Potatoes, but I think they would not do well in UK weather conditions. Tell us how you cook them /eat them...
ReplyDeleteSweet potatoes are my winter comfort food. Have you ever eaten them roasted/mashed with Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter? They're incredible!! Mighty tasty!!
ReplyDeleteHow fun that the Cantalope plants are determined to survive. It will be interesting to see the progress of those plants after seeing them at these early stages. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI love sweet potatoes. I need to try growing some, too. I need to look at my planting chart. I might be too late. But the variety you mentioned sounds like just what I need -- small veggie garden! Casa Mariposa's suggestion of the Pecan Pumpkin Butter is making my mouth water!! Sounds really yummy! But I reckon you've already got a great recipe for them :-)
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