sweet taters

[gwstang]

Hi everyone, its starting to finally cool off a little here in central Alabama (cool off here is going from 90's down to lower 80's in the day...lol). The garden is gone except for the sweet taters and and 3 bell pepper plants. All else is tilled in real good. The taters have just about stopped blooming (pretty purple looking flowers. I had never seen this before as I have never had the sweet taters.) I read awhile back to pick them two weeks after blooms stop. Is this about right in ya'lls infinite wisdom? My regular Yukon gold taters did not do too well. It got really dry here for around 6 weeks or so (bad drought for farmers in a wide spread area and many crops were ruined). I think I might have over watered them as I hit them every day with the rest of the garden area. Anywho, it's nice to drop by and say hello. I do read the forum frequently, just don't sign in too much. Some of these heavy-hitters around here would just put me to shame on knowledge...lol ( I can tell you all about '66 mustangs or '56 chevy trucks as I do have both and have restored them myself) Maybe a little on the '52 8N lo.






wife of 36 years hitched and truck



wacko chihuahua



me going to a show in B'ham a few years ago. Not too bad at 56 years young ( me and her are the same age and got married when I was in the Navy '75-'79...lol)


 

[Billie R. Smith]

Sweet looking rides. From what I know about taters you just wait till the vines die off. It wont hurt them to stay in the dirt.Here in the north you can cover them with straw and dig after it snows if you dont have a cellar to store them.
 

[gwstang]

That is a different take on the taters and sounds better than the two week stuff. Thanks, Gary
 

[Bruce (VA)]

You dig them not less than 90 days after you plant them. Around here, we plant them June 1st & dig them after Labor Day.

Dig a hill or two & see what you have. If they are the right size, go for it. If not, leave them in the ground a few weeks longer.

Do NOT let frost kill the vines. If they are in the ground & a frost is coming, cut the vines. The potato won't store if frost hits the vine.

Dig the potatoes very carefully; they bruise easily. Lay them on the ground (I use a drying rack) & cover them w/ black roofing paper in full sun for at least 3 days. That will set the sugar in them.

Store them in a warm, dry place. Not the basement!
 

[Indiana Ken]

I have always had trouble storing sweet potatoes. Last year I was advised to wrap each potato in newspaper before storing. Last year was the first time I had potatoes that did not start to rot after about 30 days.
 

[Bruce (VA)]

I line a bushel basket w/ newspaper. Then, a layer of potatoes & a layer of newspaper. I store them in the hall closet. Warm & dry. Curing them correctly helps them keep better. I usually keep them until April.
 

[Bill Rowles]

I have raised sweet potatoes for several years. I find if I leave them in the ground till late fall that the field mice and slugs get there before me and I lose......check a hill or two now and be the judge. When we lived in South Carolina, a farmer friend cured his sweet potatoes in an old tobacco barn during the winter and they were great....don't let them freeze.
 

[souNdguy]

great pics all around.

i used to raise them crazy dogs too!

:)
 

[Bruce(VA)]

" When we lived in South Carolina, a farmer friend cured his sweet potatoes in an old tobacco barn during the winter"

Yep.

My father was raised in Caroline Co VA during the Depression. They raised a lot of sweet potatoes there & one of his jobs as a kid was hauling the potatoes to & from the "curing sheds".
 

[gwstang]

Thanks, Bruce. we don't get frost around here until some time later in Nov usually. I'll dig one up tomorrow when I get up (been on the night shift this month and thank God this is the last one tonite...lol 12 hr shifts were okay when I was 25, but start to suck at 56...lol)
 

[gwstang]

It's been about well over 100 days so hopefully they are getting close. Won't get cold down here until much later. Heck, it's usually well after deer season opens in late Nov before it starts getting cold. In fact, there is a big move on to get deer season moved forward a couple of weeks so you don't have to sweat just walking to a stand...lol
 

[gwstang]

Thanks, other than fooling with the 8N, I do like my two toys and they keep me out of trouble also...Well, if I can keep my foot out of the pedal anyway...lol I call the mutt (long haired chihuahua..probably got a better pedigree than most of us...lol) ChaCha the wonder puppy. I call her the wonder puppy because most days, I am wondering just how stupid she really is...lol she got her butt torn up by our 2 farm cats more times than I can count. Just wouldn't learn those tails were not for snatching on...lol She's very old (13 yrs) and won't live a lot longer as she is on heart med to keep the fluid down. It will be a sad day when she doesn't greet me wagging her tail off when I get home. She is a real sweetie pie and loves everyone
 

[souNdguy]

we have quite a few animals in advanced states of age. have some cats in mid to late teens.. and a horse having his 32nd bday.. which is old for a horse..