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spring planting

Growing Sweet Potatoes – From Scratch

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Sweet potatoes from Pleasant Valley Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Late last winter, I wanted to try growing sweet potatoes from my own slips. I asked Paul Arnold, of Pleasant Valley Farm, for advice.

Arnold, a year-round produce vendor at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, donates a bin of these tasty, nutrient dense tubers each week to the Franklin Community Center food pantry. He pulled out a few and handed them to me.

“Cut these in half and put them in water or very wet soil,” he said. “Then transplant the sprouts when it’s warm enough for them to survive.”

I followed Arnold’s advice but started too late. By the time the sweet potatoes began to sprout slips – small roots trailing in water from the base of the tuber and purple-green leaves at the top – it was late July. Our gardens were full and so was my schedule. The slips never made it into the ground.

This year, I have a plan: I will start my slips next week, and transplant them in mid-June.

Sweet potatoes, unlike “regular” potatoes, are the root of a vine. The vine roots itself into the soil and produces a root, each time it touches the soil. Slips are the start of that process.

Although sweet potatoes require time, sunshine, and warmth to prosper, they are becoming an increasingly popular crop.

One sweet potato, cut in half lengthwise (producing two halves each with a round base) will sprout slips. These roots, once planted in deep trenches or raised rows of soil, will each yield several sweet potatoes.

To grow slips, do as Arnold suggests: Gather a few sweet potatoes, and cut them in half. Place the halves in damp potting soil or water, with half the tuber submerged. Use toothpicks to keep the sweet potatoes upright in water-filled jars.

Like plant cuttings, the sweet potatoes over six to eight weeks will first produce roots and then leafy stems. When the stems are about six inches tall, twist them gently off the tuber, and place them in fresh water for about a week until a new root forms. After all frost danger has passed, transplant them into the soil.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays through April at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Spa State Park. Our outdoor season begins Wednesday, May 2 at High Rock Park. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and contact friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org for volunteer opportunities.

Seeding a New Year of Growth

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Pleasant Valley Farm selects seeds for a new season

Let’s be honest: As snow blankets the ground and overnight lows dip below zero, going outdoors to garden is probably not on your mind. If you’re like me, you’re most likely keeping yourself warm by a fire.

One of my favorite things about winter, however, is dreaming about spring and the opportunity to create new growth. Aiding those dreams is the stack of seed catalogs that start arriving in my mailbox around mid-November. These catalogs tantalize my taste buds almost as much as my weekly visits to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market do. They expose me to an array of vegetables, herbs, and fruits. They introduce me to historic heirloom varieties and help me imagine what might prosper in my backyard.

For many farmers, winter is a time of rest. Perusing seed catalogs with notebooks, spreadsheets, and garden layouts nearby make that time more pleasurable.

“The catalogs are a great tool,” says Paul Arnold of Pleasant Valley Farm. “They help you see what will do well in our climate and can encourage you to try new things.”

The catalogs are booklets – often filled with photos – that describe varieties of seeds that suppliers of seeds produce for farmers, homesteaders, and gardeners. They often include growing tips, histories of particular varieties, and user reviews. You can visit seed company websites online and request their free catalogs. Most companies now offer online catalogs, as well.

Arnold recommends Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned cooperative based in Maine, and High Mowing Organic Seed Co., which is based in Vermont. Both have a strong record of producing seeds for varieties that thrive in our colder, northern climate, and are among the 370 companies worldwide that have signed a commitment to raise non-GMO seeds.

Besides Johnny’s and High Mowing, I also like Hudson Valley Seed Co. and Fruition Seeds, both of whom are based in New York, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., and the Seed Savers Exchange. Many of these companies will have representatives at this weekend’s Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York’s winter conference at the Saratoga Hilton, which you can register to attend to learn more about seeds as well as farming and gardening.

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park; follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and contact friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org for volunteer opportunities.