Post by macmex on Jun 9, 2021 14:34:00 GMT
Just thought I'd post something about how the year is going with growing my sweet potatoes. I've posted about starting slips, which is good, but I haven't posted about anything beyond that step. One reason for that is that I haven't done much beyond that step. Life has been so hectic that it's been hard to get things ready for planting.
I used my tractor to start the hills (ridges) for planting but didn't know how to finish the task with just a one bottom plow.
This is a picture of me plowing on April 25, getting the garden ready. The tractor is a new addition to our homestead and I'm still learning how to use it. This was my first attempt at plowing and disking a garden. It went reasonably well.
This is a picture of me, on May 13, using the tractor to start the hills for planting. I only figured out how to do half of the work with the plow. The other half had to be done with an old fashioned shovel, like I've always done.
On May 31 I finally finished the shovel work, getting the hills ready.
Now I had to lay my drip irrigation and plastic mulch. I use this technique because, in our extreme climate, it increases yields by nearly double.
Apparently I didn't get a photo of this step.
Anyway, this week I finished laying the plastic mulch on one of two 90' rows. This not only involves rolling it out over the ridge, but also anchoring it. In the past I've anchored the plastic with soil I laid over the edges. This year I tried something new. I used barn scrapings from our rabbit shed. They're easier to move and to lay down. So far, they seem to work well.
But that's not all that has to happen. Temperatures are high enough now, that heat trapped under the plastic can rise and escape through any hole I make for planting slips. In the past I've had slips which cooked and died because of the "chimney effect" of the plastic. On top of the plastic mulch I lay something organic and cool. Yesterday I was cutting weeds and laying them on top. Afterwards I planted part of the first row.
In the distance you can spot some red plastic mulch which still needed to be covered with weeds. In the foreground, the hill is ready for planting.
Here's a photo of some freshly planted slips. While the weeds are still green it's easy to miss the slips, but after a few days the weeds will brown and the slips will grow.
I often say that sweet potatoes are a whole lot of work to plant and a pretty fair amount of work to dig, but they're almost no work at all in between.
I used my tractor to start the hills (ridges) for planting but didn't know how to finish the task with just a one bottom plow.
This is a picture of me plowing on April 25, getting the garden ready. The tractor is a new addition to our homestead and I'm still learning how to use it. This was my first attempt at plowing and disking a garden. It went reasonably well.
This is a picture of me, on May 13, using the tractor to start the hills for planting. I only figured out how to do half of the work with the plow. The other half had to be done with an old fashioned shovel, like I've always done.
On May 31 I finally finished the shovel work, getting the hills ready.
Now I had to lay my drip irrigation and plastic mulch. I use this technique because, in our extreme climate, it increases yields by nearly double.
Apparently I didn't get a photo of this step.
Anyway, this week I finished laying the plastic mulch on one of two 90' rows. This not only involves rolling it out over the ridge, but also anchoring it. In the past I've anchored the plastic with soil I laid over the edges. This year I tried something new. I used barn scrapings from our rabbit shed. They're easier to move and to lay down. So far, they seem to work well.
But that's not all that has to happen. Temperatures are high enough now, that heat trapped under the plastic can rise and escape through any hole I make for planting slips. In the past I've had slips which cooked and died because of the "chimney effect" of the plastic. On top of the plastic mulch I lay something organic and cool. Yesterday I was cutting weeds and laying them on top. Afterwards I planted part of the first row.
In the distance you can spot some red plastic mulch which still needed to be covered with weeds. In the foreground, the hill is ready for planting.
Here's a photo of some freshly planted slips. While the weeds are still green it's easy to miss the slips, but after a few days the weeds will brown and the slips will grow.
I often say that sweet potatoes are a whole lot of work to plant and a pretty fair amount of work to dig, but they're almost no work at all in between.
