Post by macmex on Oct 21, 2021 21:57:17 GMT
I got my start of Ginseng Orange from Gary Schaum (Duck Creek Farm), I believe in 2014. That's the first year I have recorded that I grew it. I remember Gary commenting to me that I really needed to try Ginseng Orange and Barberman, both orange fleshed, coppery colored sweet potato cultivars. One of his comments about Ginseng Orange was that it is a really nice producer of slips. It makes a lot of sprouts and they stay at the ideal size for shipping for a good long while.
I've found this variety to be everything a person could want in a sweet potato, especially if they want something with the taste and texture that most Americans have come to associate with "sweet potato." It makes roots which are generally just the size that most people want. The roots are mostly placed right under the plant (no hunting around to find them.)
This is a typical sight when digging Ginseng Orange.
Ginseng Orange produces nicely. I wouldn't call it a super productive variety, but it never disappoints at harvest time.It can be quite productive.
Like some varieties, the roots of this variety will often stay attached enough for one to "wiggle them free from the soil" and pull them up like a bunch of bananas. The above photo is of the total harvest from one plant back in 2016.
Though the vines do run a bit, Ginseng Orange's growth habit is more restrained than many, especially some of the really old heirloom varieties which can run quite a distance. Ginseng Orange does not.
This variety has a split leaf, as opposed to the more common heart leaf style of the majority of varieties. Presently, this is the only split leaf type I grow, so it makes it easy to identify Ginseng Orange during the growing season.
Here's picture from 2020, when I slipped six Ginseng Orange slips into a garden at the university where I work. The red flowers are geraniums.
The vines did get a bit rambunctious
Here's the harvest from that planting.
Furthermore, Ginseng Orange stores extremely well. It's one of the varieties I have accidentally misplaced and then, found a year after harvest. The roots were still good to eat!
I've found this variety to be everything a person could want in a sweet potato, especially if they want something with the taste and texture that most Americans have come to associate with "sweet potato." It makes roots which are generally just the size that most people want. The roots are mostly placed right under the plant (no hunting around to find them.)
This is a typical sight when digging Ginseng Orange.
Ginseng Orange produces nicely. I wouldn't call it a super productive variety, but it never disappoints at harvest time.It can be quite productive.
Like some varieties, the roots of this variety will often stay attached enough for one to "wiggle them free from the soil" and pull them up like a bunch of bananas. The above photo is of the total harvest from one plant back in 2016.
Though the vines do run a bit, Ginseng Orange's growth habit is more restrained than many, especially some of the really old heirloom varieties which can run quite a distance. Ginseng Orange does not.
This variety has a split leaf, as opposed to the more common heart leaf style of the majority of varieties. Presently, this is the only split leaf type I grow, so it makes it easy to identify Ginseng Orange during the growing season.
Here's picture from 2020, when I slipped six Ginseng Orange slips into a garden at the university where I work. The red flowers are geraniums.
The vines did get a bit rambunctious
Here's the harvest from that planting.
Furthermore, Ginseng Orange stores extremely well. It's one of the varieties I have accidentally misplaced and then, found a year after harvest. The roots were still good to eat!
