Just a quick update on how the sweet potatoes are fairing this year.
I tried growing slips as usual from tubers I grew last year. All produced a good number of slips with the exception of Burgundy. The tuber I'd saved just stubbornly refused to grow any shoots. It made a half-hearted attempt to put out some roots but even these were pretty feeble. As I've done previously, I wondered if I'd got the wrong end of the tuber in the water. So I turned it upside down and tried again, with no joy. So I'm afraid it's farewell to growing Burgundy sweet potatoes. They just don't like it here.
This year I put my mini polytunnels out on the allotment before I was ready to plant out each set of slips. Thought it might help to warm the soil for them. They were planted out during May.
The photo below was taken at the end of August.
From the bottom of the image up, the first row is Evangeline. These slips weren't particularly big when I planted them out and there isn't a huge amount of vine growth yet. Likewise with the next row up, which is Beauregard. Next comes Belle Vue followed by the very healthy rows of Bonita and Murasaki. Just about in view at the top of the image is Orleans.
So it looks again that the white tubered plants of Bonita and Murasaki are going to produced the best crop. I'll find out in a couple of months!
Already I'm thinking I might try and source a couple of new varieties to replace the poor performers. I don't know why, especially as they taste pretty much the same, but I still prefer the 'usual' coloured tubers....
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