Sweet Potato harvest looming QUESTIONS!

Okay, I tend to get very eager when it comes to harvests. I've grown a 2x6 raised bed of SPs and don't want to pick them too early, but don't want to let them rot, either. I started with nice-sized slips which I placed in the ground in late May, so I'm well in the 100 day range. I have only had one flower out of 6 or 8 vines, and it just showed up today. In sniffing around the garden, I have seen a couple of SPs in there, kind of looking like tiny breaching whales. I covered them up with dirt, which I hope was not a no-no.

I remember reading to harvest when the flowers die but I don't recall where I read that. Is it true? And should I go by this one flower, or give it another couple of weeks in case there are more blooms?

Or do I feel around and if I feel a biggish SP, harvest it? How do you not damage the roots? Do you dig them all up at once or try for more growth? Aside from the tomatoes and melons, this looks like it may be the most success I've had in the vegetable garden and I really don't want to blow it.

Thanks!

Sweet potatoes rarely bloom. They are tender perennials and keep going until killed by frost. They do not grow a lot as the daylight hours shorten. Those in more northerly locations try to dig the just before the first frost. I try to dig mine around the first of October as they do very little growing after that point in time. Also gives me a chance to cure them in warm weather. If you are in a hurry to try them, you can carefuuly gravel out some of the big ones without disturbing the plant too much. They will have a better flavor after being allowed to dry out for a couple of weeks.

Thank you (AGAIN!) Farmerdill! The next one I see peeking I may harvest, otherwise I guess I should be patient (grrrrrrr...) for another few weeks.

I've been looking at me SPs daily and wondering ... whats going on under there! Curiosity is killing me, but like you brigi, I don't want disturb anything before it's time. My veggie garden was already full, so I put them in several of my flower patches. The vines are having a wonderful time, I'm going to have to trace them back to find where to dig.

Farmerdill, when curing, should they spend all day lying in the sun, then inside at night? That may sound like a silly question ... but I think they'll get damp overnight.

While the dew does not hurt them, I usually will put them in the barn or an open shed.

Thanks Farmerdill ;-)

Zowie! Looked what I pulled out of there this morning! I found something I can grow!!! (Mechanical pencil on the right for scale.)

Nice

I dug up a few of mine for Dinner Paul

Next Year am going to grow the Bush Type Paul

I want to dig mine now. When do you think I should dig mine in zone 5?

This message was edited Sep 15, 2008 3:39 PM

when did you plant yours? Paul

The 10th of June.

id wait a few more weeks paul

Well, I had a harvest! I doubt I need to worry about curing them -- they'll be eaten soon!

edited to say this was after I'd given a bunch to some neighbors.

This message was edited Sep 26, 2008 10:16 AM

not bad. My trial cultivar this year performed poorly (Hernandez) . Humongous vines but poor yield.