Market Farming

[road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>]

On Jan 24, 2006, at 8:35 AM, Alliums wrote:
> If you want to save a variety, you can cut a bunch of vines (6 inches or longer) and overwinter them by putting the ends in a vase of water and putting the vase in the sun.  Then, you just cut whatever lengths you need, root them in water and plant.

Interesting. I always made my slips by taking a few of the good sweet potatoes in storage and setting them more-or-less upright in containers of water, usually quart jars or quart freezer containers, so that the bottom end of the sweet potato was in the water; and setting them in a window (they want some light, but don't seem to need as much light as say tomato transplants; and there's no "legginess" consideration). When vines have grown long enough I start cutting them and root them in water. They'll also develop roots while on the potato and you can "slip" these off and plant them too; and any slips that get too tall while being rooted and held for planting can have their tops cut off and set to root also. You can get a lot of slips from each potato.

I'll have to try this "vine to vine" method next fall, too. It would have the advantage that in a bad growth year when the potatoes aren't mature enough to sprout well this wouldn't matter; but also I would think the potential disadvantage that there would be a bigger chance of bringing pests in with the tops.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale