Growing / starting sweet potatoes

If I was you, I’d keep them for a while in a dark warmish place then pot them up & keep warm & moist & see what happens they are tubor roots after all. Those oval things on the left I’d fry or boil & have for breakfast.

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I don’t have a photograph of my sweet potatoes to hand, and the oca aren’t harvested yet, but above the ground they look like this (giant clover). They come in different colors (mine is red/pink), and you can get a good yield from a single plant. It tastes a bit like a potato with a slight lemon tangy taste. You can airfry them, roast them in the oven or eat them raw.

This is one I’ve been growing for a few years, and have got my traditionalist French neighbours growing them too, as they’re impressed by it, and it’s such an easy one to grow. It’s achocha (giant bolvian, not to be confused with its smaller cousin whose taste isn’t nearly as good). It’s like a cucumber crossed with a pepper. I love it raw, but you can cut it open, easily remove the few seeds and stuff it - it’s great cooked too, and very productive (grows on a vine). Once all my cucumbers have finished, I have these from September to about now (first frost kills them dead).

And I thought I’d share this as it’s a new one I’ve tried this year. Kiwao, or (aka horned melon or African cucumber). Like the achocha it’s another climber, and is spikey as heck. Looks amazing inside, but doesn’t taste tropical and sweet, but more like lime, melon, passion fruit and banana, but very mild. I like it, but it’s not for everyone.

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I think if she plants those she might get a hen popping out of the ground in a few weeks😉

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I always wondered what eggplant looked like.

Every time I see the title of this thread, I read it as “Growling/startling sweet potatoes”.

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I’ve started thinking about growing slips using bought supermarket sweet potatoes since I find we’ve eaten all the ones I grew last year so can’t use our own!

I was wondering how to get rid of any sprout inhibitor that might have been sprayed on them .Any experiences of this, anyone?

Also, after last year’s “suspend in a jar of water” trial, which failed miserably, I was going to try the “half buried in moist compost” method until I looked at a “Garden like a Viking” video, where the chap suggested that he didn’t find that method as good for producing slips as fully burying them under 4-6in of compost. Has anyone tried this?

No I haven’t but going to get on with it, I still have home grown left. I think I’m going to use my heat mat I got for my birthday as out house is too cold. Not going to bother with the water. Not read about the full bury option.

That’s exactly what this chap I was watching recommended @toryroo. If you can cope with his style, I like what he’s done (and his potager is amazing!)

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And, good news, no more Tempo red days :partying_face: so it will be cheaper to run.

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Remember first seeing them at a West Indian grocer’s in Manchester’s Moss Side over fifty years ago. Asked the man what they were and he explained that, “Some people call 'em chouchou, but then there’s others call 'em chowchow.”

Bought one and like @vero, was somewhat underwhelmed. Don’t care what they’re called, as haven’t bought one since.

Success!!!


This was the last one I got off this morning, been getting them off fe a few weeks, either with or without roots. Roots go straight in a pot, they’ve all lived. No roots go in my cute little propagator vase from Action and that’s been working well. I’m so pleased, I think I’m all good for my 10-12 plants I need!! I think my success is due to my heat mat!

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I am going to try to grow creeping thyme from seeds. Instructions say a mix of soil and horticultral sand.
I looked up said sand and got.
Horticultural sand is very gritty sand made from substances such as crushed granite, quartz, or sandstone .
So thats just sand then, of course I shall wash my builders sand but thats just what sand is or is it M&S this is not just sand its??? :smiling_face:

If you don’t want the fuss of washing sand and mixing, just sow in terreau potager with no peat it’s pretty much free draining.
Nice plant especially for 2nd home owners once established hardy & very low maintenance.

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