Good. I am glad someone there is trying them. They like full sun, and
even watering. If they are dry for a while and then get a lot of water,
they crack and start growing again. They still taste good if cured right.
To cure them, I wash them off and let them dry off. Then I bring them
inside the house in the warmest room I have. I lay them out so the air can
circulate around them (don't put them into a box or bag). I leave them
there for 10 to 20 days before moving them to the coolest room in the house
for storage. During this time the starch turns to sugar. After curing, you
cant let them get colder than 15 degrees C . If you do, it will reverse the
curing process, and it cant be redone.

Dig them as soon as you hear that a frost is coming. If you have too many
to dig all at once, at least cut the greens off before the frost. If they
get frosted and are left alone, they will be bitter. Try yours this time
and see how they are. Maybe they didn't get that much frost.

You can also grow them in plastic buckets. I put them out when it gets warm
and bring them in if it is going to frost. Lot of work, but that method has
produced at least one good potato per bucket for me. The plant will put on
the top growth, before growing any potatoes. I like to grow them for
entries at the fair. I also keep about 20 for seed potatoes the next year.
Then I give away all but about a dozen for the wife and I to eat during the
winter.

I put my seed potatoes in some large plastic seed trays, without the little
pots. Then I add water and move them on top of the freezer ( it stays warm
up there, and I can leave a light on in that room during the day). I do
this in March for June planting outside. Check the water level every 3 or 4
days and add as needed to keep the potatoes wet. As soon As it is warm
enough during the day to put them outside, I do, and then bring them back in
at night. You harvest the slips when they are 8 or more inches tall, by
holding the potato down with one hand and pulling up on the slip with a
twisting motion. I pick 20 or 30 and put them in a gallon can with water in
it, for 2 to 5 days until roots start forming on the ends (Remove the leaves
from the portion of the slips that will be under water). Then I plant them.

Dwayne

From: "shazzbat"
Subject: Squash question - update
Date: Friday, September 23, 2005 9:00 AM


| I raise sweet potatoes also.

Those REALLY don't grow outside in the UK. I like the drier,
less sweet white ones, not the butternut-like orange ones.


We're trying them for the first time this year. A friend gave us some slips
they didn't have room for. But we are very close to the south coast, and
it's a bit of an Indian summer here, although we've had a spot of rain this
morning, the first for about three weeks. We've got plenty of growth and I
think they're still going, although some parts were touched slightly by an
early frost last week, fortunately just the one.

Don't know yet if we've got anything below ground though.

Steve

Dwayne, I will bet a dollar to a cent that you aren't posting from
the UK :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

And you would win. Reference our previous postings on 9/17/2005.

Dwayne

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

Dwayne, I will bet a dollar to a cent that you aren't posting from
the UK :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.