Wednesday, September 9, 2009

An Early Sweet Potato Harvest

I have been growing sweet potatoes in wash tubs for a number of years. After seeing a friend's vines growing far and wide in her garden, I think next year, I'll plan to grow some across the street.

I have noticed a couple sweet potatoes poking out of the dirt, so I went out to dig one for supper this evening. When I saw how big it was, I went back for my camera. I stuck it back where it was before I snipped the stem with garden scissors for a "reenactment". The plant to the right is a Spooky dianthus.



Isn't it pretty?



Then, while trying to figure out which tag belonged to it, I noticed this whole plant had died, so I dug out the potatoes from it.



These had the tag right next to them identifying them as Georgia Jet sweet potatoes.



They are the same color as the larger one, so I think it's the same kind. The leaves on the right are from a plant in the next pot.



Here are some washed up. It looked like there may be some blemishes, but they didn't go through the skin after being cooked.



Last fall I did a post about eating my Marguerite sweet potatoes, and had the same mishap as I did with these. Again, I should have started the larger one first, and watched them more closely. They were still good, though. The mess cleaned up easily.


Do you ever look at your stat counter to see what kinds of internet searches lead people to your blog? I think the one that pops up the most for me is people looking to see if they can eat their ornamental sweet potatoes. I planted several varieties this spring to harvest and cook. Stay tuned for further posts when the frost is about to threaten.

17 comments:

  1. I love sweet potatoes! I hope you enjoyed yours. Seems like I can almost smell them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What do you know? Very interesting, Sue. I wonder if you have to hill sweets like you do regular potatoes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sue girl ! Now this is a surprise ! Your sweet potatoes look wonderful .. we are fans of them here and they are supposed to be packed with amazing nutrition too ! Now how good is this : )
    Great veggie post girl !
    Joy

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wonder why they died out - very hardy ..and looking delicious

    ReplyDelete
  5. How nice to grow your very own sweet potatoes! One of the most nutritious item that alot of people overlook...Ha, I cook them in the micro too! Nice photos!

    ReplyDelete
  6. YUMMO... share some recipes with us for those potatoes!
    Happy Harvesting going on over at the BGgarden too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Try cutting about 1/4" off the ends before microwaving and they might not explode.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Those sweet potatoes look good! Sweet potatoes are a popular crop around here, along with soybeans, cotton, and of course tobacco. Farmers will often allow people to pick their own sweet potatoes after they have been unearthed, before sweeping up the rest to take to market.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sue,,
    Great vitamins are contained inside these golden orange morsels!
    Can I grow these at high altitude?
    I really want to try.
    Rosey

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sue, those look delicious. Nothing better than a baked sweetpotato. Mmmm!

    Do you prick the skin before baking them? That seems to keep mine from bursting.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gotta love those sweet potatoes, especially fresh from the garden

    ReplyDelete
  12. so tempted to try out sweet potatoes in my garden. They look so beauty and deliciously good in your pic.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello Sue,

    Thanks for the visit to The Beatitudes...doesn't matter if you had already been there...every visit is appreciated.

    I couls spend all evening on your blog...very interesting.

    Hubby and I had fried sweet potatoes for dinner...quick fry with a bit of honey...yummy~

    Happy Gardening~

    Bea Kunz
    http://beasbeatitudes.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Garden "reenactment"....love it. My husband will be right over because he loves sweet potatoes or maybe it's yams. I need a lesson on the difference.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sue those look wonderful! A little messy perhaps but wonderful. hehe

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm laughing at the exploded Sweet Potatoes. They do look yummy. Your post has raised a question in my mind - if I can grow ornamental Sweet Potoes, then I can grow the good eating kind- so why haven't I? Next year...

    ReplyDelete

I welcome comments and questions from anyone, including those who do it anonymously. Some people find my posts by doing searches, and I like hearing from them. I guess spammers won't even read this message, but I will delete spam as soon as I see it.