Living in southern Victoria allows us to grow many different varieties of fruit and vegetables in our garden. While we are lucky that we can grow lots of things that our friends in tropical areas can't, we are also envious that the tables are reversed for other things. Our summer isn't long enough, and although we have hot days, we don't have the number of them required to grow certain things.........don't get me wrong......I think our summer is quite long enough! Over the years,different plant varieties have been developed so we have grown things like watermelons and cantelopes (this season).......I am a sort of plant it and see type of gardener. If it grows.......yay!.....if it doesn't.......plant something else!.........although I am hanging out for a cool climate banana......lol!
In mid October on my of my frequent visits to Bunnings, I spied a Sweet Potato plant. I decided to buy it knowing that it wouldn't grow outside in our cool climate but I thought that I might plant it in one of the two raised garden beds in my hot house. Worst case scenario.......it dies and I waste $3.50. So I planted it out, and it sat there and sat there and sat there. It was growing but all so slowly and I took this photo on the 4th November.
Then the weather started to warm up, and I was watering the plant every day........and boom! off it took........eight weeks later this is what it looks like.....
The growing shoots were heading out the door and also towards the other raising garden bed. I trailed the runners onto the next bed, and if you stood there long enough I swear you could see it growing.
I decided to do a little experiment, and every morning at about 8am I placed a plant tag at the tip of one of the runners. For 11 mornings I placed my tags and now that I have run out of garden bed my experiment must end.
This one runner grew between 2 - 3 inches every day! I also pegged the runner firmly in to the soil and it has started to send roots down.
I am just hoping that there is a lot of growing being done below ground level. So while I am getting ready to take all of the other plants out of my hot house, as it will too hot for them, I think this little ol' Sweet Potato will love it's new southern home. Harvest won't be until Autumn but I will let you know how I get on!
Linda :)
Happy New Year Linda and Russell. Do sweet potatoes have flowers like normal ones?
Posted by: Anne Box | December 28, 2018 at 01:57 PM