Sweet potato Harvest.

Not the greatest year, lots of splits and mishapen roots due to the drought conditions. Yield was fair tho. Six bushels washed and laid out to dry.

Looking good Dill! That should take you through the winter.

Farmer, It looks like you have some Jewels and another lighter variety.

I have dug a couple hills so far. They have been good. I have been concerned about the rain after rain the last few weeks that it might cause some dark spots on them. I would rather it was dryer for their sake...and some other sakes.

I really like my Nancy Halls, but I just cannot learn to like the orange ones. I have tried Centennial, Jewel, Beaureguard, and a couple other orange ones. The Nancys don't taste like squash to me. Perhaps the strain you had was different.

to each his own, Indy. I prefer the orange flesh cultivars my self. with Jewel being my favorite. These are a mix of Jewels, Oklahoma Reds, Ringley's Porto Rico, Poplar Root and Violetta. The latter two white fleshed. Tried Carver, Willow Leaf and Oakleaf as experimental varieties this year. Did not do too well as I set them too late.

I am glad someone had a good crop.Due to drought and deer I did not harvest a single tata.
Here is a oddball from last year.

Hemental; That is quite a tader. I had a few splits as well. But I got enough for winter and then some. It was hot and dry for a large part of our spring. I almost gave up, after we took a two week vacation. the weeds outgrew every thing. but I crawled around on hands and knees pulling weeds, and, getting light to all the different vedgies. Then the rabbits thought I had planted the sweet taders just for them. Well some Hot sauce chanced their mind. Once the taders took off I almost couldn't keep up with the vines. Guess I said all this just to share this picture. There were 15lbs. under that hill. most in one of the taders.

Some people pictured in our local paper, The North Georgia News, grew a 4 pound, 7 ounces, 13 inches long and 14 inches around sweet potato, didn't mention the variety. I don't have a scanner or I'd post the photo.

This one is 18" around but only 10" long it weighs 6&1/2 lb.
As you can see by the quart fruit jar, "for compareson" that it is rather large.
I had 4 more that were contenders but they were 3 & 4 lb. I have since given them away so measuring them is out. but they were longer and not as big around. I was thinking Georga jet. But may have been Centenial. I don't remember for sure, will have to see if any of the lable steaks are out there yet.
Russ

Is this Ipomoea batatas?

Bizzy;
Yes it is a ipomoea batatas. and it is either the Beauregard or the Centennial.
I am not up on the lattin names but would the " Centennial" Be the hybridizer?

Bizzy;
Yes it is a ipomoea batatas. and it is either the Beauregard or the Centennial.
I am not up on the lattin names but would the " Centennial" Be the hybridizer?
Done a little looking up. must be Beauregard ,Cultivater

It interesting that you have cultivars for eating and others which are ornamental - or can you have both?

They are all edible, The ornamentals are developed for the beauty of the vines with no consideration for yield or taste. The opposite is true for those grown for food.

Yes I have two vines of the one called blacky as well, Even though they were set out at the same time. They are just little bitty things the vines kept getting set backs. so they only got a 6" vine. Oh well! Guess I will try to winter them in the house and set them back out next spring.
Thanks Farmerdill for the explanation. I have had some inquries as to weather the ornamentals were also edible. I wasn't going to say as I was not 100% sure.

They are edible, many of them are not the best quality for eating however.

randbponder.I think Beuregard was named after a confederate general by that name and centenial was released by one of the ag colleges on the nations bi-centenial.The Universiuty of Georga,Clemson, Virginia Tech and I believe Rutgers were the leading producers of the multitude of varieties.
I do not believe you gonna get that one in that jar.

Goldrush, introduced in 1951, was the dominant variety until 1960 when Centennial was released. ........google search

LSU was where Centennial was developed

When I was trying to remember which it was that I had bought. Those were the two that were offered. At the time I could not remember which I had picked up.
But after googling I soon found out that the Centenial was a more white flesh. and the Beuregard was orange. I do like the flavor of the Beuregard.
I may try a couple hills of Centenial just to see the difference.
I havent tried canning any yet. since we have a freezer and one of those vacuum sealers. I should look up a canning recipe. I do have plenty jars. I really could use the space in the freezer for other things.
And thanks for the info on the varieties. My brother swears by one that he calls the Georga Jet. I may have to do a search on that.
I'm really quite new to DG and I have quite a time looking things up. I have to do the generalized search, as I have quite a time trying to remember if it is Cultivater, Species, Hybridizer or what. but I'm working on it. ((*-*))
Thanks again for all the info. "Russ"

Centennial is also an orange flesh cultivar. It is a very good potato. Its main disadvantage is that it tends to produce jumbo roots. Most folks want bakers, not a huge potato that has to be cut up to cook and will feed a whole family. Centennial also tends to be more elongated and has copper to orange skin. Beauregard is purplish red.

Hhmmmmmmm. ok I'LL back up I probably have the Centenial. Don't know what I did. I will have to look that up again. I remember that it wasn't a very good picture of the centenial, so I didn't spend much time reading. Thanks again. Russ

Hhmmmmmmm. ok I'LL back up I probably have the Centenial. Don't know what I did. I will have to look that up again. I remember that it wasn't a very good picture of the centenial, so I didn't spend much time reading. Thanks again. Russ / Nope Back to the Beauregard, as Idid see quite a few with scurf. still good eating. But I do see what you mean about too many really big ones and not enough uniform ones. But for home use, cuting up and freezing. or canning. I guess I can't complain

The newly dug Nancy Halls are really of a nice size and very clear....exceptional

I planted an old sweet potatoe (bought at a produce store) that had been in the fridge too long, it grew great, but then I read that they had to go through a heated storage period to cure - so I never harvested them......to you dry these out at high temps or do you just go ahead and prepare them for eating (or storing)....

I just dig them just before or at the first frost, Store them in wooden bushel baskets, or paper boxes if I run short of bushel baskets, put them in a shed during Indian summer (two to three weeks and they are cured. A half century or more ago we we would use the barn or corn house to cure them. Don't have either any more, but the tool shed works fine. Once it gets cold (don't have a root cellar anymore) I bring the ones that I am going to keep over the winter into the house and store them in the computer room. They are not choosy as long they stay above 50 degrees. They usually last until June. Like a winter squash, they have a much better flavor when cured, (they sweat off the excess water making them sweeter), takes about three weeks, but they take care of themselves as long as they have a good circulation of air and don't get too cold.

Arrrrgggg, sounds like I need to move mine out of the root cellar. Gets colder than 50º!

Not necessarily, unless it stays colder than 50 degrees for a day or so. You might try throwing an insulation blanket over them ( the pink stuff with pink panther) Main thing is the root cellar needs to be relatively dry. I lived in Pulaski County for 28 years. Stored sweet potatoes in wooden bins about a foot off the floor. Put sawdust around them. Winter squash were just laid on top the bin. Worked fine. If sweet potatoes actually get chilled, there will be black spots, sometimes the whole potato, in the flesh. I miss the root cellar, but this house is on a concrete slab.

Good to know, thanks. Last time I just bought the kind I liked at the grocery store (orange flesh) and stuck it in the ground and it grew but like I said I never harvested, is this method viable for getting the edible vs ornamental? Would like to try again it was a pretty purple vine as I recall.......

Thanks, Farmerdill. I need to monitor the temps in my root cellar which is half buried into the hillside. When I put the sweet potatoes in there 3 weeks ago, I put a layer of straw under them, made sure they were not touching, and put another layer of straw over them.

The easiest way to get just a few slips, is to stick a couple of toothpicks in the middle of the potato and suspend it root end down in a glass or jar of water. Set it in a sunny window and you should get a dozen or more plants. Edible potatoes are developed fror thier eating quality and may or may not have eyecatching vines. Ornamentals are bred for eyecatching vines and may have poor root production, poor tasting and fibrous roots. Other than that everything is the same.

MQN; It really wouldn't make any difference that that you grew it from a potato or a plant as long as it was one of the ones from the store it would probably have potatoes under it unless the ground was too hard. You could be surprised and have 5 to 10 sweet taders or more. depending on how much water they got all along.
I just saved one of the rooted vines, cut it back and put it in a pot. and brought it in. I will save enough cuttings for next years crop. just grow them for the two of us, but always give some to some of the neighbors.
Although I do plan on trying to find three or four Nancy Hall. just to see the difference.

The yellow Nancy Halls are of a uniform large medium size with of course some larger and some smaller. The Centennials all tended to be very long. The white Ivis are also very unifotm and all but some Centennials are very clear without spots.
I store them in the garage.....I don't use it for an auto except when hail is immenent or some special reason. I wouldn't want fumes on things out there!