Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Nov 12, 2008, at 3:55 PM, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> The first thing you should note from this thread is that I am a  
> sucky sweet
> potato grower.  I'd use caution listening to anything I have to say  
> about it.
> Marie and Gene are more successful than I am and I think I've got a  
> lot of
> reviewing of my sweet potato husbandry at this point.

I am more inclined to believe that growing sweet potatoes well is due  
less to gardener ability and more to garden soil, location and  
weather. For instance, a garden that slopes southeast warms more  
quickly in the spring. Paradoxically, the good gardening practice of  
heavy winter mulch insulates the soil and slows down springtime soil  
warming considerably. Moisture, while somewhat under the control of  
the gardener through irrigation, is more effective when it comes  
naturally from the sky, bringing nitrogen and applying itself broadly.  
And certainly, latitude and elevation play strong roles in garden bed  
heat not only early but throughout the summer gardening season.