permaculture

["Antonio Scotti" <antonio.scotti@tiscali.es>]

Hello Lisa
I am based in Spain, in Catalonia actually.
A couple of more question for you:
1) so you pull the slips off by hand, how about cutting them with scissors
instead? I mean is it an important detail to pull them instead that to cut
them?

2) In order for the slips to take root, do they have to be covered by soil?
or can they survive and take root under mulch?
3) What about planting the whole sprouting sweet poteto?

>  By the time the season is over, and you
> have dug your harvest, you should be able to till another whole bed fairly
> easily....3-4 feet maybe???
Lisa I am not sure I understand this passage of yours regard to tilling. Do
you mean that the potatoes will have done the tillng for you after you
harvest them?

All the best
Antonio

----- Original Message -----
From: Lisa Rollens <rollens@fidnet.com>
To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 5:10 PM
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Sweet potato


> Antonio,
>
> Sweet potatoes are not grown like regular potatoes.  "Slips" are planted,
> and they are actually sprouts from the potato that are pulled off.  To
grow
> slips just plant whole sweet potatoes in loose soil, barely covered, after
> the soil is warm.  In a green house, earlier, is better.  The plants will
> sprout and when the sprouts are 4-6 inches long, hold the potato down with
> your hand and pull the sprouts off with your other hand.  the potato will
> continue growing more slips.  Plant those you have pulled about a foot
apart
> on the edge of your garden.  For the first few days they will wilt, since
> they have very few or NO roots at all.  This is OK, just make sure you
water
> them frequently for a week or so.  By then they will have grown roots and
> will be on their own.  Mulch thickly thru the season, and train the vines
> out of the garden onto the grass.  By the time the season is over, and you
> have dug your harvest, you should be able to till another whole bed fairly
> easily....3-4 feet maybe???  It depends on your soil type, and you may
have
> to wait for fall rains to loosen up the soil.  Be careful digging the
> potatoes as they will break, especially if the soil is dry and they have
> gone halfway to China...which is the way they loosen the soil so well.
> Where are you located?  this is the way it is in the midwest and upper
> south, USA.  You can find more details in any number of books.  Happy
> growing!  Lisa
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Antonio Scotti" <antonio.scotti@tiscali.es>
> To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 5:30 AM
> Subject: RE: [permaculture] Sweet potato
>
>
> > Hi Lisa and Scott,
> > what is the best methos to propagate them?
> > Just plant them on the ground such as ordinary potatos?
> > Somebody even told me once that thye could be propagated by cuttings of
> the
> > germinated s. potato
> >
> > How long does it take to see th effects (provided one has used enough
> > potatoes)?
> > All the best
> > Antonio
>
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