Evaluating Yields of Sweet Potatoes Across Various Garden Spaces
In the heart of 2020, a gardener embarked on a sweet potato growing adventure, planting two 28-foot rows in a different part of the garden. Simultaneously, the same gardener also experimented with growing sweet potatoes in grow bags, using slips from their 2019 harvest.
However, the results were mixed. The sweet potatoes planted directly in the ground produced a modest 48-pound harvest, while the grow bags yielded a smaller amount. The spot where the sweet potatoes were planted in 2020 did not seem to perform as well as the rest of the garden.
Interestingly, the writer's 2019 harvest yielded an impressive 100 pounds from a 4x28-foot planting area, leaving them wondering if the bountiful harvest was a stroke of beginner's luck or a reasonable expectation for future harvests.
The gardener's experiment with raising sweet potatoes in raised beds was somewhat successful. Although the potatoes were easier to harvest than those in the ground, the burrowing in the soil still required some extra muscle. Five slips planted in a raised bed in 2020 resulted in a yield of 22 pounds.
Unfortunately, the grow bags experiment was not without its challenges. The writer observed some insect damage and lack of flowering, and the harvest was smaller than expected. The writer believes that the key to success with grow bags may lie in paying close attention to soil fertility and watering.
In an attempt to improve the soil, the writer mulched the sweet potatoes with hay in 2020, but the hay was contaminated with herbicide, which could have negatively affected the harvest. The writer suggests that growing only two slips in 7-gallon grow bags might be a more manageable approach, should the writer decide to grow sweet potatoes in grow bags again.
The writer cured the harvested sweet potatoes for 2-4 weeks in a sheltered, hot, and humid environment, following the ideal temperature for curing sweet potatoes: 85-90 degrees with 85% humidity.
As for the side of the garden with volunteer marigolds, the sweet potatoes were smaller than those on the other side. The writer is unsure about the impact of marigolds on the size of the sweet potatoes. Additionally, the lower elevation on that side of the garden may have caused more water to collect, potentially affecting the harvest.
In light of these findings, the writer has penned a guide on how to plant sweet potatoes, sharing their learnings and tips for success. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a novice, this guide is sure to provide valuable insights for your sweet potato growing journey.
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