@@MFV77 Hi Mary, I have some plants just for harvesting leaves and young vines and harvest throughout the summer as plants grow. Before frost when you dig these up, you will notice that the tubers are not very big. The plants that I harvest for sweet potatoes, I do not cut leaves/vines from at all during the summer. I just let them get spread all over the place to produce tubers. On sweet potato harvest day, I cut the vines first and feed these to our reptiles.
I had no idea you should wait to let them sweeten once harvested! I harvested some little ones that were in a container recently. Glad I've just left them on the kitchen counter and didn't eat right away like I originally planned! Love the tip about the newspaper too! Thanks!!!
My aunt did the same thing. She had eaten a few right away and thought she had done something wrong. Luckily I had come over the same day so we salvaged the unsweet ones from the compost. she loved them a few weeks later.
I'm about an hour east of Dallas, so presumably the weather is similar to yours. Thanks for the info. I planted sweet potatoes for the first time this year, and I wondered when I was gonna get some!
Growth over summer is much faster and larger than over winter. I grow them year round but usually harvest smaller tubers in spring and larger in fall. Just FYI. Have fun and dont forget to eat the greens!
Nice video -- clear and concise, thanks so much. I'm in Arizona desert, so our timing for gardens is a bit similar to yours. I planted sweet pots in mid/late spring in 3 places, but now 6 months later I only found tubers in one spot, and they were not very big. Another spot most of the vine got munched by critters. The last spot had huge gorgeous vines, but i could not find a single tuber... :-( thoughts?
Thank you for this video. I’m especially happy that we’re both in Florida and you’ve made my life so easy with your information. I have a ‘monster’ sweet potato plant in a large well known brand storage container-with holes drilled for drainage, and it’s amazing how fast it grew. Almost 2 months old and it’s HUGE. Thank you again 🌱
Greetings from Charleston, SC and your video is the first one I clicked onto! First time growing sweet potatoes and they are poking up where I planted them so they would be ready according to you. I haver one question about the vines. Could I trim back the vines so they don't grow all over the place? I planted four starter plants so you can imagine what that looks like, lol. Thanks for any and all responses!
Thanks for this video. We are in Florida also, and the advice from those from the north doesn't relate well to us. We have some vines that have been growing for several years - pretty much ground cover. Do you think they will have any potatoes under them or should we just be happy eating the leaves?
They will certainly have potatoes under the but they may be chewed up a bit. I would definitely take a look! All you have to do is rebury the stems and the vines will keep on going for leafy greens.
Positive energy, no gloves and not afraid to get your hands dirty. Definitely a true gem. Great job on the video and look forward to the next video. Keep up the great work.
😂😂😂. You know if someone uses gloves doesn’t mean they are afraid to get their hands dirty. There is a number of reasons why some people prefer to use gloves.
Yes, they do just fine in sandy native soil. Sometimes even better than if it were in "improved" garden soil. They will form bigger roots and less vegetation in "poor" soil.
Thank you for your videos. I’m in Tampa and just harvested my first sweet potatoes. Could you give more detail on curing them? Should I sit them in the garage for a week? Should I cover them up? What kind of container?
I leave them dirt and all in a warm sunny location for a week or so. This weather right now is perfect for that because the humidity has been low. Then put them in a "cool" dark location for another couple weeks. Pantry works great for that usually. There's no minimum time for the second part but I would wait at least two weeks. This is the time frame they start to produce the sugars which gives them the sweet taste.
I'm so glad I found this video, it was very helpful! I'm new to growing in Florida, and I've never planted sweet potatoes. I may have put mine in the ground too late (Mid June is when I planted), but I'm noticing lots of beautiful purple flowers. Is that possibly a sign that it's close to harvesting?
they will flower regardless of the size of the tuber. has to do with season than size. you can overwinter them (just let them keep growing) and they will get big in spring or pull now for small ones.
Hi there, thanks for the video! I have a question, I'm in south Florida, my Japanese sweet potato just started blooming a couple of days ago. I planted them back in April. Should I wait for the blooms to die off before harvesting? Thanks!!
No need, in fact until they are cured its likely to rot them. Just brush off the dirt and let them cure. Once cured you can brush them off some more but ideally you wont wash it until your ready to eat it.
Very nice video. I was getting worries about my sweet potatoes since I planted them like 4 months ago and had no idea you could leave them in the ground so long. Good to know! Thanks
Damn, your s. Potatoe harvest is HUGE!! Can you share the link on how you prepare and plant your sweet potatoe slips and what method yields the best quantity of slips to grow in your garden. Thank you for the great tips. What variety did you harvest in this video? #makasgarden in the Pacific Northwest
We plant our rooted slips directly into the ground and let them take over from there. Check out some older videos on my channel for more sweet potato videos and tips! Good luck growing
Oh also, when I've purchased sweet potatos (organic) they don't last. I have put them in the refrigerator and they degrade. So storing them for up to six months????
Thank you. Really those help. I went digging today and didn’t find any at all, this vine has been going for over 6 months! It has tiny ones. I did find a huge worm and then found it’s babies under a leaf. No wonder my entire vine has been eaten. Hoping it didn’t affect the potatoes.
Wow wen u took out the first one... like a big healthy heart felt so good!👍🌸 I've planted slips in couple of pots since like April.. I'm in india n climate is pretty warm humid so leaves not much brown but d green looks less so guessing I shld be checking on it now? Thanks for sharing 🙏🌸
Yes, I think so if it was april. The great thing about them is you just put them back in if they arent ready yet! Dont forget to cure them if they are.
You can eliminate almost completely by growing in containers or building quality soil. Nematodes thrive in sandy soils so having nice rich growing medium with no native soil in it is a huge step. Crop rotation if possible will also go a long way. You can also companion plant with marigolds or trap plants to reduce their effect.
rose5150 Hi i live in central Florida too. What I did was prepared beds and how the lady said a very nutritious medium. Probably you can find mulch completely free.
Excellent video! I live on TX Gulf Coast and we get about as much rain and humidity as you do. Question: It's been a dry season for the past 3 weeks and I give my sw. psts hand watering every day. How much moisture do they really need if grown in pots or raised beds and if instructions say 90-100 days, how far do you let them go? Thanks so much! I've subbed to your channel.
They are pretty resilient and can really take pretty much whatever the given conditions are. That said if you want to maximize tuber production and are getting zero rain with those temps I would try to water every other day. Ideally early morning or late evening. Good luck!
Hello. I live in southern Mexico at high elevation. I grow a lot of sweet potatoes. One issue I've had is that sometimes they have a f sticky resin in the flesh which is not pleasant to eat when we cook them. It turns blackish, perhaps from oxidation, when I cut them up for cooking. I have not been curing them. Is that the reason? Thank you!
You can rebury them and over winter them or you can compost them or you can eat them! Leafy greens are edible : ) You are further north so I probably wouldnt plant again until next spring after your last frost.
So happy to find someone here in Florida!!! Have had my purple sweet potato’s planted now for 21/2 months looking awesome, but was not sure how long to wait until checking them, just planted my orange sweet potato slips so I’m figuring around august for them...thanks and have subscribed to you, I have zucchini, green beans okra , herbs and romaine all doing fairly well ... thanks again...
Thanks for that information It's hard to find Videos Of growing in South Florida. So my sweet potatoes should be ready by now I put them in the beginning of Spring I Check around the surface And I got to decent size like the one in your Video I am growing in a 45 to 50 gallon bucket And I staked up vines with 3 10Foot long stakes Shape as a tipi . The vines almost Got to the top 1st year Growing Vegetable and it's been amazing Thanks once again
Are sweet potatoes safe to eat if they are exposed to the sun while growing? I have some that as they grew they are now above ground level and may be a little green. Should I try to put soil over them and let them finish growing? First time to see your vlog. Thank you for the information.
Great video and awesome tips. Can you please give some tips about how to keep possums, raccoons, squirrels and rats from eating your harvest? That would be helpful. I just found your channel and just subscribed so I'm new here. I don't know if you have ever covered these topics before in previous videos. If so, you can point me to them. Thank you
Not OP, but cinnamon might help. It keeps mammals out of my garden. Also, if I have some plants that are particularly tempting, cutting holly, blackberry, or rose branches -- anything sharp -- and put them near what you're trying to protect, it can deter them.
If left in the ground they will get even larger yes - gigantic actually, but you may end up sharing them with pests eventually. There's no exact timing or right/wrong, Ill usually go out at the 4 or 5 harvest the large ones and continue growing the rest but its all up to you really!
So my sweet potato has a leaf yellow, not sure if it’s time for harvest or cuz I over watered it. I started it with toothpicks n water in May, planted around beginning of June. Do I start countdown in June when I got slips or roots when i got it in water?
i would go from planting. some yellow could just be old leaves dying off and is totally normal. But they dont need daily watering either. I would back off if you are. 3 times a week is more than sufficient.
Non glossy black and white is breathable. In general no, once established our summer rains are usually more than enough. If it’s over the dry winter months you can water maybe once a week.
In California during summer I have no cool place to store. Was thinking I might have to bury a bucket or something, maybe rigged with a vent pipe? I don't have AC or even insulation in the house, so it's just hot everywhere and I feel I can't really grow and store potatoes, onions, garlic etc. that need cool places to dwell :(
TY! I live in Fl, planted a few sweet potato plants a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t realize the “vine” grows so much! Very excited for my fall harvest.
Glad to know it's ok to just leave them and plant in the bed. Maybe I'll plant my tomatoes. Can you suggest any plants that make nice 'trellises" for the sweet potato vines -or maybe the tomatoes?
We use cattle panel fencing as our tomato trellis, it's strong and durable and low cost usually. Also low profile so it can be bent into an archway to give your plants even more room to grow and vine up.
Hello I've been growing sweet potatoes for a few years and I've planted my sweet potatoes in about late April or early May I just want to know at this time if I can harvest the sweet potatoes. I know it's a stupid question, but I am just one of those people who are very cautious about plants like these and get very nervous if I am harvesting them too soon even if it's mid fall. Note: I'm growing sweet potatoes in a extra large planter.
6 months is usually a good amount of time in the ground. You can dig them to see and if they are smaller than you would like you can simply rebury them. Enjoy!
@@TheUrbanHarvest I've got one more question: so my sweet potatoes were grown from a sweet potato from a food market. Is that sweet potato still safe to eat despite being the sweet potato that was grown and produced the other sweet potatoes?
@@brandynsgardeningchannel1330 oh she missed you. Why don’t you put your question independently? To your question: yes, you can. From my experience, I found sweet potatoes are easy growing plants. Good luck.
Thanks! Am first time planting sweet potato here in Southern CA.... but similar questions. Have been greatly enjoying harvesting and eating the yam leaves and stems, but wasn't sure when / how to handle the tubers. :-)
Ok, im in Clearwater and some of the leaves are drying, I thought maybe my sweet potatoes are done. I wish I could send you a picture, they look nothing like yours; they are small. I left the rest untouched!!! When should I remove them? I want them big like yours! I want to plant tomatoes next. Can you give me a timeline? Thanks!
Its generally 6 months or so from planting for decent size potatoes. They slow in winter so if your wanting to plant tomatoes for winter you might want to just put them in rather than waiting.
@@TheUrbanHarvest hello and thanks! I just harvested all my SP and Im in body pain! Lol some of them are small and some bigger. I have a plot in a community garden and is smaller than the one in my house and got bigger ones! Don’t know why. I didn’t wash them. I placed them in a brown paper bag inside my pantry. There is not A/Ced so it has room temperature. Is that ok? Im planting tomatoes next. But, for next year, which month should I start the SP if I want to do tomatoes in the winter? Im being told that SP must be harvested by Thanksgiving and tomatoes next. I have a small tomatoes plant from seed but I was thinking about going to a nursery and just purchasing plants! Thanks!! I like the fact you are more local! Thanks
Thanks I'm in Florida. Planted my slips back in March now its September. I was waiting for leaves to die back but what you said makes sense so I'm going to harvest. Thanks
I’m going to check mine as well; all the other videos I’ve seen said to wait for leaves to turn brown. I’m so blessed to have found this channel. Happy gardening 🪴
Wow! I’m new to gardening and have a farm I tried some sweet potato vines in containers and some in the ground in our large garden. The containers aren’t showing anything peeking out of the dirt like I was expecting, so now I know I need to go ahead and dig into the dirt. The ones in the garden got overtaken by cucumber and now weeds, so I don’t think they had any chance. Lol. Thanks for the tips!!
