Sweet potatoes are a popular and nutritious crop that can be grown in various ways. In this article, we will explore the benefits of growing sweet potatoes in straw bales. Peter from the Garden Family shares his experience of harvesting sweet potatoes from two straw bales and provides valuable information on how to prepare the straw bales for planting, how to plant the sweet potatoes, and how to harvest them.
One of the main advantages of planting sweet potatoes in straw bales is the heat that they provide. Sweet potatoes require warm soil to grow, and the straw bales help to condition the soil and maintain a higher temperature. Additionally, harvesting sweet potatoes from straw bales is much easier than harvesting them from the ground. Instead of digging them up with a shovel, you can simply break apart the straw bales to reveal the sweet potatoes. Peter shares his insights on how to condition the straw bales, how to plant the sweet potato slips, and how to get the best harvest from your sweet potato crop.
Key Takeaways
- Sweet potatoes thrive in warm soil, and straw bales can help to maintain a higher temperature.
- Planting sweet potatoes in straw bales makes harvesting them much easier than traditional methods.
- Proper conditioning of the straw bales and planting sweet potato slips in soil are key steps to a successful harvest.
Preparing the Straw Bales
To plant sweet potatoes in straw bales, the bales need to be conditioned first. Conditioning the bales involves starting the composting process of the straw bales. This is done by adding high nitrogen fertilizer to the top of the bales every other day for about a two-week period and keeping the bales moist to wet the entire time. The bales will heat up initially to about 140 to 160°F and then cool down. Generally, once they are below about 90°F, it is safe to plant the sweet potato slips in them.
Sweet potatoes are planted as small plants called slips, rather than planting the sweet potato itself. These slips are made by taking an organic sweet potato and placing it either in water or soil and causing sprouts to form off the sweet potato. Those sprouts are then removed and planted either in water themselves or in soil. For straw bale plantings, it is preferred to plant the slips in soil so they have a little soil to plant into the straw bale when planted.
The great thing about planting sweet potatoes in straw bales is that sweet potatoes love heat, and you need to wait until the soil temperature is above 60°F prior to planting them. As the straw bales are conditioned, they heat up, then they cool down. Generally, you’re planting in 80°F straw bales in late spring, which is warmer than your soil temperature, and the sweet potatoes love it.
The second reason why planting sweet potatoes in straw bales is preferred is ease of harvest. The sweet potatoes themselves grow in the straw bales, and in order to harvest them, you just break the straw bales apart instead of getting out a shovel.
Planting The Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are best planted in straw bales for two reasons. Firstly, sweet potatoes require warm soil temperature of above 60°F to grow, and straw bales provide a warmer planting environment than the soil. As the straw bales are conditioned, they heat up and then cool down, providing a perfect environment for sweet potatoes to grow. Secondly, sweet potatoes grown in straw bales are easy to harvest. The sweet potatoes grow in the straw bales, and to harvest them, one only needs to break the straw bales apart.
To plant sweet potatoes in straw bales, one needs to condition the straw bales first. Conditioning involves adding high nitrogen fertilizer to the top of the bales every other day for about two weeks. The bales should be kept moist throughout the conditioning process. The bales will heat up initially to about 140 to 160°F and then cool down. When the temperature falls below 90°F, it is safe to plant the sweet potato slips in the bales.
Sweet potatoes are planted as small plants called slips rather than planting the sweet potato itself. The slips are made by taking an organic sweet potato and placing it either in water or soil and causing sprouts to form off the sweet potato. The sprouts are then removed and planted either in water themselves or in soil. For straw bale plantings, it is preferable to plant the slips in soil so that they have a little soil to plant into the straw bale.
To get the best harvest of sweet potatoes, they need a long growing season and should be kept in the ground from when they are planted up to the first frost. The sweet potatoes should be planted as small plants with a target outside planting date of mid-May. The slips should be started about the end of March to early April.
Harvesting sweet potatoes from straw bales is easy. The first step is to remove all the foliage. Then, the straw bales are cut open to reveal the sweet potatoes inside. Straw bale gardening eliminates the need for shovels, and one can just dig through the straw to harvest the sweet potatoes.
After harvesting the sweet potatoes, they should be cured in a warm location for a couple of weeks before storing them. Straw bale gardening is an excellent way to grow sweet potatoes, and it is a great way to involve kids in gardening.
Harvesting The Sweet Potatoes
Removing The Foliage
To harvest sweet potatoes from straw bales, the first step is to remove all of the foliage. This can be done by cutting the vines back using a pair of scissors or shears. Once the foliage has been removed, the sweet potatoes can be easily accessed.
Digging The Sweet Potatoes
Unlike traditional planting methods, sweet potatoes planted in straw bales grow in the bales themselves. To harvest the sweet potatoes, the straw bales need to be broken apart. This can be done by hand, without the need for a shovel. Once the bales have been broken apart, the sweet potatoes can be easily seen and harvested.
When harvesting sweet potatoes from straw bales, it is important to be careful not to break them. Sweet potatoes that have twisted around each other can be difficult to separate and may have a shorter shelf life. After harvesting, the sweet potatoes should be cured in a warm location for a couple of weeks prior to storage.
Overall, harvesting sweet potatoes from straw bales is an easy and efficient way to grow this delicious vegetable. With the right preparation and planting techniques, gardeners can enjoy a bountiful harvest of sweet potatoes.