Harvest My garden gave me one more unexpected bumper crop

[Wildwood]

After a difficult winter full of loss, DH had told me he just wasn't up to adding the extra raised bed I'd wanted to build this past spring. To be honest, I felt about the same. We'd done a big 24 x 5 and over two ft. tall bed the year before. I wanted a matching one right beside it but only four feet wide.

At the very last minute, DH decided we'd do it. By the time he and DS got it built and filled with dirt, I was more than a few weeks late getting my sweet potatoes planted. They started out great but the lack of rain was an issue. I watered and watered but they still got to looking a little worse for the wear after a while. I felt a little discouraged plus my little business got crazy busy so I was very late digging my sweet potatoes yesterday. The russet potatoes in the other half of the bed were a complete loss but those sweet potatoes were a pleasant surprise. My grandkids helped and we got 120 pounds in a 4 x 12 area...I just used half the bed for them and it was my first time growing sweet potatoes! They aren't the prettiest things and some will go to the compost but we are happy.

DH thinks we could get another twenty pounds at least...I was exhausted by the time I called it quits but I'm thinking about leaving what may be left for volunteers. I watched a video that said sweet potatoes don't need to be rotated and like to be replanted in the same bed year after year. The dirt wasn't even that great. DS scooped up a few tractor loads right there in the field and we mixed our entire batch of compost with it starting out. Those sweet potatoes did a number on that dirt and it is a thing of beauty now. I'm about to sew some mustard and few other crops that will improve it even more by spring and feed us too.

What a blessing and a confirmation!

 

[Cardinal]

What a pleasant surprise for you!
I have two stubborn tomato plants that are refusing to give in to the cold, so I am bringing them inside at night. I have a cheap grow light I might set up later. Will be interesting to see how long the hold on.

 

[Wildwood]

What a pleasant surprise for you!
I have two stubborn tomato plants that are refusing to give in to the cold, so I am bringing them inside at night. I have a cheap grow light I might set up later. Will be interesting to see how long the hold on.

I have a couple tomato plants that volunteered in the melon patch and they were holding on too til that last frost got them. I'll be anxious to see how your plants do under the grow light. I was gifted a pretty nice one that was no longer needed a few months ago. It's the first one I've ever owned so I have no experience with them.

 

[Cardinal]

I have a couple tomato plants that volunteered in the melon patch and they were holding on too til that last frost got them. I'll be anxious to see how your plants do under the grow light. I was gifted a pretty nice one that was no longer needed a few months ago. It's the first one I've ever owned so I have no experience with them.

Me neither. Currently I am putting my plants out on the back (south)deck and bringing them in at night. When I can no longer do that I may rig the grow light over them, but the sliding glass door to that southern deck gets plenty of sunlight in so it might not be needed.
I envy you your potato crop.

 

[Wildwood]

Me neither. Currently I am putting my plants out on the back (south)deck and bringing them in at night. When I can no longer do that I may rig the grow light over them, but the sliding glass door to that southern deck gets plenty of sunlight in so it might not be needed.
I envy you your potato crop.

I feel very blessed to have them. I cooked some tonight even though they aren't cured and they were good.

Last year I did two rounds of tomatoes but was just too busy this year. I really wanted to try what you are doing. I plan on canning the green tomatoes I found in the melon patch for frying. It's considered rebel canning but I'm willing to try. I tried Old Alabama Gardener's method of canning okra for frying and it's better than fresh so we'll see how those sliced green tomatoes turn out.

 

[Jeff B.]

Great report.

I'm going to dig up a couple of my peppers and put them in 5 gallon buckets and keep them from freezing. I've done it before and liked getting a huge jump on the season as the plants leafed out and flowered right away!

Jeff B.

 

[Wildwood]

Great report.

I'm going to dig up a couple of my peppers and put them in 5 gallon buckets and keep them from freezing. I've done it before and liked getting a huge jump on the season as the plants leafed out and flowered right away!

Jeff B.

Last year I had two pepper plants that really stood out with thick stems that were already looking like a small tree and I considered doing that with them and I wish I had because my pepper plants this year were a dismal failure.

 

[Jeff B.]

I’ve done it with two plants for two years when we lived outside of Augusta. Worked great.

Jeff B.

 

[Rabbit]

I wasn't going to fool with saving two nice pepper plants that did very well in a big planter on the patio mainly because I didn't have room to overwinter them.

I started cutting branches off to bag up for trash and realized I had done some pretty extreme pruning and decided to save them.

Each plant was a vigorous three-footer now pruned down to about sixteen inches. Do you think they will come back?

 

[ioujc]

Let us know how this works out Rabbit>>>hope they make it!!

 

[ReneeT]

Don't forget that you can eat the leaves of sweet potato plants like any other greens - I rank them right up there with spinach!

 

[20Gauge]

Last year I had two pepper plants that really stood out with thick stems that were already looking like a small tree and I considered doing that with them and I wish I had because my pepper plants this year were a dismal failure.

You should. Pepper plants will live for up to 9 years. They produce better each year for the first 5 years after that it will decline, but still be better than the 1st year.

 

[20Gauge]

I wasn't going to fool with saving two nice pepper plants that did very well in a big planter on the patio mainly because I didn't have room to overwinter them.

I started cutting branches off to bag up for trash and realized I had done some pretty extreme pruning and decided to save them.

Each plant was a vigorous three-footer now pruned down to about sixteen inches. Do you think they will come back?

Yes, We have done the same each year. In fact, it seems to help a lot in future growth.

 

[seraphima]

i noticed a nice crop of kale today, even after a lot of cold and ice. Great winter plant! December 30!

 

[China Connection]

You can eat the sweet potato leaves plus stems.

Then there are the sweet potatoes left..



Sweetpotato leaves are cooked as a vegetable in many parts of the world. They are rich in vitamin B, ßcarotene, iron, calcium, zinc and protein, and the crop is more tolerant of diseases, pests and high moisture than many other leafy vegetables grown in the tropics.

Nutritional and Medicinal Qualities of Sweetpotato Tops and ...