Up until a few days ago, I actually had my heart set on K being for Kohlrabi. Up until, fellow bloggers, I read this: "Almost 80% of Australian sweet potato production takes place in Queensland". 1
Well. How could I go past that?
With almost 80% of production taking place in Queensland, one would think that I would be growing sweet potatoes, which is the more or less fancy name for kumara (depending on your tastes), left right and centre.
Well I'm not. I've never produced a good crop.
I have seen home grown sweet potatoes the size of a robust newborn baby. Mine look more the size of an undernourished bantam hatchling. And I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong. How can I be doing wrong - this is where they grow best!
But I do have a theory.
I cut a few slips off today and have them sitting in some water, waiting to be planted out... and just wait 'till you see their special new home.
They are going to start contributing to that 80%!
15 comments:
I adore sweet potato! Surely the smaller ones are sweeter. I must have a go at growing these, everyone does say they are really easy to grow....although with my luck and growing skills they would look like something out of a Salvidor Dali painting.
You couldn't do any worse than me Daffodil, let's have a sweet potato growing contest!!!
Biggest one wins :p
Im going to look them up and see what it takes to grow them...I wonder if I can grow them down here in SA...
Mrs Pie, I would like you to go around your garden for me and count each different type of veg and fruit you have growing in your garden....we should all do a list....I know yours is the most exotic for sure...but it would be interesting and eye opening to see just how many...
What if you just stuck one in the sunniest, warmest spot in your garden and see what happens??
And thank you for calling my garden exotic, it makes it sound very exciting! I will do a list, but let's do something fun with them... hmm... a fun list... I might have to think about that!
I don't know if sweet potatoes would grow very well over here in England when good weather can't be guaranteed.
Can you get your boys to give them a little sweet talking to encourage them?
I looked into it pretty closely at one stage...in a an exceptional year they may grow in Melbourne...but unlikely. The plants grow and make lovely ground cover...but no tubers form. However, you can eat the shoots apparently...like spinach.
Oh that's disappointing... I haven't tried the shoots yet Hazel, and I am a little reluctant to... however, I now feel it's my duty to try them.
One side dish coming up... or maybe in a stir fry?
Greenhouse people get a greenhouse..
Now Ali I have to dispute your use of the word Kumera cause girl where I come from this ain't kumera not even close..this is sweet potato ..kumera is a dark purple color and the flesh is a creamy color and the taste is nothing like sweet potato.. I miss real kumera
I didn't know you Aussies called those things Kumara - I thought it was a name only used in New Zealand (oops).
We get two types of sweet potato here (it's seldom grown in the UK, but you can get it in the supermarkets); one is very dark orange, and the other is creamy white. I think the orange ones taste nicer. I think they are nice roasted in their skins.
Mark I don't think we really do that much... but I have heard it here, just not very often... and I went with it because I needed a K!
Joyfulhomemaker I take it back then, these are no purple potatoes... nor are they fabulous specimens, I am a terrible brown thumbed Queenslander :D
I have tried sweet potatoes in two different areas, and they actually grew better in the area where they had more attention. They seem to like the shoots being trimmed (they are delicious - you have to try them). I noticed that a sweet potato has started growing again - I thought they only grew in the wet season - do you grow them year round?
I was planning to try the shoots in a dish tonight AA, by the shoots I guess you just mean the fresh growing tips?? I am feelings very brave!
I am not exactly sure if they grow year round here. I read on the link at the bottom of my post that they do, but I haven't done it myself. I hope so!
The wee little ones taste nicer anyway! My poor sweet potato is all vine no root.
Hi Ali, just leave them in the ground longer to get bigger. You might have problems with weevils though. I just pull some up when I run out of them in the cupboard so the sizes vary. You can eat the leaves in stir fries too. I've boosted my "percentage" many times using that trick. : )
Hey thanks kyseroze81, I'm always looking at ways to boost my very low percentages! I don't think that I appreciate exactly how long they can take to grow, a very very long time it seems!
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