How To Grow Sweet Potatoes In Straw Bales - From Growing Slips To Harvesting
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- Опубліковано 13 тра 2024
- I've had very good success with growing Sweet Potatoes in straw bales. In this video, I'll show you step by step how to do it. I'll show you from the very beginning, when you start by growing your own Sweet Potato slips, to when you finally harvest the Sweet Potatoes.
You start by growing Sweet Potato slips. Sweet Potato slips are sprout that have been broken off from a Sweet Potato, then placed in water until they grow roots.
While you are growing your Sweet Potato slips, you can condition the straw bale that you are going to use. That is accomplished by watering the bale and adding some nitrogen fertilizer. I will tell you the exact amount I use in this video, along with how long to to use it. While you are conditioning the bale, the temperature inside the bale can rise of over 120 or 130 degrees F., or about 48.8 to 54.4 degrees C.
After the bale is conditioned and the temperature inside the bale has fallen to 90 degrees F., or 32.2 degrees C., it's time to prepare the bale to plant. I begin by pushing my trowel into the top of the bale repeatedly, to loosen up the straw and make room from some soil to go down into the bale a little ways. Next I added soil to the top of the bale of straw and push it into the bale using my hands while wearing gardening gloves. I wear gloves because it safer and much easier on my hands. I continue to adds soil and push it into the bale until I think it can hold anymore. Once the soil has been added to the top of the straw bale, I make some planting holes where I plan to plant my Sweet Potato slips by pushing my trowel down into the bale again. When I have some holes made, I refill them and push the soil down into the hole.
Planting the slips is very easy. All I do it make a hole using my hand (with gloves on of course), then I drop the roots of the slip into the hole and fill dirt in around it.
I water the straw bales using drip irrigation. The water comes from our well. If you are interesting in using drip irrigation, you should make sure you have a back flow preventer. Most cities and towns require it. My main irrigation lines are 1/2 inch. I come off from the main line using 1/4 inch tubing. At the end of the 1/4 inch tubing are emitters, or drippers. Each emitter has a flow rate....1/2 gallon per hour, 1 gallon per hour, or 2 gallons per hour. I usually give each bale about 2 gallons of water per day during the hottest part of summer.
Harvesting Sweet Potatoes grown in straw bales is about as easy as it gets. You simply pull straw apart and pull out the Sweet Potatoes. Do digging is required, although you can dig below to bale if you want. I've actually found a few Sweet Potatoes doing that. Let us know if you've ever tried to grow Sweet Potatoes in straw bales before. Thanks for watching!
This is not a sponsored video, but as an Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission from any items purchased using my affiliate link below.
The compost thermometer I use to monitor the temperature of the bale: amzn.to/40Vyec7
The trowel I was using in this video: amzn.to/3sANcrn
Some of the videos that I've done on Sweet Potatoes.
Here is how I condition the bale: • Conditioning, Planting...
Here is how I prepare the bale to plant: • Preparing A Straw Bale...
How To Start Sweet Potato Slips: • How To Grow Sweet Pota...
Sweet Potatoes Grown In Straw Bales - Huge No Dig Harvest, Red Garnet: • Sweet Potatoes Grown I...
Garnet Red Sweet Potato Harvest Grown in Straw Bale: • Harvesting Garnet Swee...
Yellow Jersey Sweet Potato Grow Bag Harvest: • Grow Bag Sweet Potato ...
Harvesting 4 Types of Sweet Potatoes Grown in a Straw Bale: • Straw Bale Sweet Potat...
My Nature Channel (Observing Nature): / heroletters
Midwest Gardener is also on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
I garden in zone 6b, in the state Kansas. I would love to hear from you, so feel free to comment, make suggestions, ask a question, give tips, tell about your garden, or even offer constructive criticism.
Thanks for watching!
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This is not a sponsored video, but I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. That means that I will receive a small percentage of any sales generated from one of my affiliate links, but you won't pay any extra. It's one more way that you can support our channel.
![Turn ONE Sweet Potato Into 100 LBS Of Sweet Potatoes By Growing SWEET POTATO SLIPS! [Complete Guide]](/img/n.gif)
Thank you! You are a voice of wisdom we needed
You're welcome! Glad I could help!
Excellent video on growing sweat potatoes. My garden space is rather limited for growing sweet potatoes. The vines do sprawl everywhere. You've had some great harvests from your bales over the years. I hope everything is going well for you. Take care and have a wonderful weekend 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Thanks Shirley! Yes, we've had some pretty good luck growing them in straw bales. Everything is going well here. Hope you and your family had a Happy Thanksgiving!
@@MidwestGardener Thanks, we had a great Thanksgiving, I hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving too. I'm glad all is good there, everything is good here too. Out in the garden planting today 😀😀
I love this upload since you included the behind-the-scenes of your hard work! And it's an honor to have you visit our channel, we can discuss more about our experiences in harvesting and building farms.
Thanks again for the kind words and for the visit! I will check out your channel.
Good Morning Jim - Awesome video on growing sweet potatoes in bales and I'd say with the success you have had, duplication by others would be pretty easy. Hope you have a great weekend and are continuing to heal..
Thanks Sue! Yes, this is something that just about anyone can do. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I just found your channel. I love how smooth and relaxing your voice is. The video was awesome. Thanks ❤❤🎉
You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Well done Jim. 👍👍
Thanks Bob!
Thanks a lot; well detailed and straight to the point. Good tips
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful. Good luck if you give it a try.
Great tutorial. ❤
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
This is nice
Thank you!
Great technique sir, thank you
You're welcome!
Nice tutorial! Thanks!😀
You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and keep your videos coming please.
Thanks, will do!
Thank you for sharing all this info! I have a follow up question - after planting, do you have to continue fertilizing with any particular strategy due to the fact you’re growing in the bales? Many thanks!
You're welcome! I have added some water soluble fertilizer a couple of times during the summer. I've also not fertilized at all and have gotten a harvest....just not quite as large. The roots eventually make it into the soil below the bale.
amazing video thank you so much. Subscribing for sure
You're welcome! Thanks for subscribing. Much appreciated.
Nice video, mate! Seems like there’s a fair bit of work involved but those potatoes must taste “sweeter” than those you buy from the supermarkets. Enjoy the weekend. Cheers :)
Thanks! Yes, there is some work involved....mostly at the beginning. Just about anything homegrown is better than what you get in the supermarket. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
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You may wish to add a final step explaining how to cure and store sweet potatoes. Curing improves the flavor and long term storage durability and the storage environment has a significant impact on tuber quality during long term winter storage.
Thanks for the suggestion. I did think about including that in this video, but I didn't really have any clips I clips that I could use to show the process.
Do you plant the sweet potatoes now, or wait?
I usually plant mine in the first part of May.
Would bone meal work?
I doubt if it would have enough Nitrogen.