This year my goal is to grow 2,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. I think I can do it. With 16 raised garden beds, a greenhouse, a raspberry patch and a few more planting beds sprinkled throughout our property, I think growing 2,000 pounds of food is an attainable goal. Even if I do live right in the middle of high maintenance suburbia.
Sweet potato slips were planted this week. This is our first year growing them. If you have any advise about growing sweet potatoes I should know about, please leave a comment below. ♥ Mavis
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I have spent a total of $$414.90 on seeds, soil, plants and supplies for this year.
Here is what I have harvested so far:
Basil 5 oz
Broccoli Rabb 1lb 6 oz
Chives 4 oz
Kale 9 oz
Lettuce 2 lbs 15 oz
Butter Crunch 12 oz
Mixed Greens 7 oz
Romaine 1 lb 4 oz
Mint 1 oz
Oregano 1 oz
Mushrooms 9.25 oz
Shiitake 9.25 oz
Go HERE to read more about how I grew mushrooms.
Radish 11 lbs
Easter Egg Radish 2 lb 3 oz
Crimson Radish 1 lb 5 oz
French Breakfast 7 lb 8 oz
Sprouts 10 oz
Mung Bean Sprouts 7 oz
Sandwich Sprouts 3 oz
Total Food Harvested in 2012: 17 lbs 12 oz
Have you seen the documentary Ingredients? The Girl and I plan on watching it this weekend. It looks good. I’m especially excited to hear what the “flip flops” lady has to say.
Ingredients on Amazon Instant Video $3.99
Netflix $ Free if you have a subscription.
Go HERE to find the Bormioli Rocco Fido Canning Jar the radishes are in.
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katy says
hi mavis! i’ve been thinking about sweet potatoes too. where are you growing them?
Mavis says
I actually planted some in a garden box and a few more towards the back of the property. No where fancy. 🙂
Heidi says
Tonight I decided to take a break from my boys baseball games (six in six days…) and I just watched “Ingredients”. Wow. What an eye opener. Beautiful and informative. Most of the movie takes place very very close to where I live. So glad I took the time to watch it.
The part about our children’s generation being the first to have a shorter life expectancy then their parents made me sad. It is a choice what we put into our mouths.
alliegator says
I’ve watched so many of those food documentaries that I can’t keep them all straight, but as far as I can remember, I really enjoyed Ingredients. It certainly makes you think about where your food is coming from.
I also really liked Fresh.
Practical Parsimony says
I know nothing about growing sweet potatoes, but I do know how to cook them to perfection. Beauregard is the finest sweet potato around. It is so sweet that it needs no butter or sugar to melt in your mouth. (Actually, Geoorgia Jet is best but does not store for long.)
Sweet potatoes in the microwave are horrible. My neighbor who died at 94 taught me how to cook sweet potatoes.
Wash, cut out black places if there are any.
Dry. Just put them on a dish towel for a few moments.
Oil. Take any oil and rub the sweet potato all over, especially the open cuts.
Bake. Place the oiled sweet potatoes on one of these: iron skillet or griddle, any shallow pan, or on a shallow pan with parchment paper. I use two broiler pans and bake sometimes two dozen at a time.
The extras can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days and microwaved. Or, wrapped in waxed paper, they can be frozen in a gallon freezer bag.
If you have chickens, they love the baked skins that you do not eat. I always leave a little sweet potato in the skin so my three hens can enjoy my meal, too.
I love your blog!
Donna B. says
I’ve grown sweet potatoes for years – very easy. Don’t put them in the ground until it is quite warm. Even in Tx I wait until June. They practically grow on their own; hands down the easiest veggie I grow. Harvest them right before the first frost. Cure them by laying them in a single layer to dry well (a few weeks). Then I stack them in my free Costco apple boxes and place in a closet. If you cure them, they will last all winter long.
Make sure you give them plenty of room. The vines go everywhere, but are quite beautiful. I always put some in my annual flower bed. Also, when you first plant them, don’t let the vines root. After 2-3 weeks, go ahead and let the vines root. Everywhere they root, potatoes will form. Pretty cool.
Oh and they can grow quite large. Last year I have a couple that weighed close to 10 pounds each!
Heather says
Where do you get the sweet potato starts???
And is it too late to get tem and start them?
You have inspired our family to reach the 2000 # mark. We grow a lot but this year we have added a lot more space for veggies and are weighing everything instead of just counting.
Elyse says
Thanks PP and Donna B!! I fell in love with sweet potatoes about a year ago, and this is the first time I’m going to try to grow my own!! Those tips really help! 🙂