home, farm, & garden
Shut My Mouth!
Water plants in the early morning to allow the leaves to dry off during the day. Late evening water can be applied if mornings are not possible. Potatoes need at least one inch of water per week to grow well. This is extremely important during the transplant, establishment, and root development period. Stop watering the last three to four weeks before harvest to help prevent the tubers from splitting.
When I think of the Rockford community, I think of sweet potatoes. Their annual September sweet potato festival celebrates North Carolina being the number one producer of the sweet potato in the United States.
Weeds need to be controlled before the plants cover the row. Mulches can be applied to help deter weed germination. Newspapers spread between plants will decrease weed populations. Once the plant foliage has grown together, it is difficult to cultivate weeds out.
by Joanna Radford
Sweet Potato Sonker!
The festival has the best sweet potato sonker (a traditional North Carolina, cobbler-like dessert) and brownie around. What a fun way to celebrate this nutrient enriched vegetable. Sweet potatoes have numerous health benefits. They are high in vitamins A and C, calcium, manganese, antioxidants, and potassium, and have small amounts of iron. The medical field reports sweet potatoes are a better food choice than white potatoes since they have a lower glycemic index. When I was growing up, sweet potatoes were only for special occasions like Thanksgiving. Today, they are found any time of the year. They are in frozen and microwave products and there are even sweet potato chips and fries. Sweet potatoes come in numerous types and colors – ranging from white and mild to deep red and super sweet varieties. There are even purple sweet potatoes. Common varieties include Evangeline, Beauregard, Bonita, Covington, and Orleans. Sweet potatoes are relatively easy to grow in the home garden. They should be planted when soil temperatures reach 70°, which is usually from May 1 through June 15 in the Piedmont. They grow best with eight to ten hours of sunlight daily. Sweet potatoes need 120 days to mature, and they are harvested in late August through early November. Sweet potatoes are tubers that prefer well drained soils, so clay soils may present a challenge. Adding aged compost or other organic amendments to the planting bed will help with drainage. When no amendments are added to clay soils, the sweet potatoes may be small. Raised beds also work well for sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes do not grow from seeds, but from slips produced from the roots of last year’s crop. Slips can be purchased at farm stores and garden centers. Plant them three feet apart to allow the vines to expand. Sweet potatoes do best in a slightly acidic soil with a pH range of 6.0-6.5. When possible, fertilize based on a soil test. If no soil test is available, apply 5-10-10 fertilizer at 30 pounds per 1,000 square feet. They will need to be side-dressed with four pounds of 5-10-10 per 100 feet of row just before the vines cover the row. Side-dressing fertilizer means to lay the fertilizer in a line along the row, about four inches away from the stem of the plant. If over-fertilization occurs, foliage will be produced and no sweet potatoes. 12 • SURRY LIVING March 2021 Issue
Wireworm and root knot nematodes can be a problem for home gardeners. Use sound cultural gardening practices to avoid pest problems. Rotating vegetables in the growing area each year can help with nematodes. Harvest sweet potatoes before the first frost. The quality and storage life decreases with cool soil temperatures. The foliage begins to die back as it gets close to harvest time. Be careful not to damage the potatoes when digging them out of the ground, because the skins are thin when first harvested. Sweet potatoes will store longer if they are cured by air drying for several days in a shady location at temperatures of 80-85°F. Then move the potatoes to a final storage area. This location should not be cooler than 55°F. Another great thing about sweet potatoes is they can be stored for up to 6 months and sometimes longer depending on conditions. They do need to be inspected frequently for decay. Remove any affected potatoes from the storage area so the decay will not spread. I think I will add sweet potatoes to my garden plan this year. Who knows, you may just see them at the Rockford Sweet Potato Festival this year.
