Sweet Potatoes

I have a bed that's 5' x 9' where I grow only sweet potatoes. The next bed over is 6' x 10' and I grow only yams in that one.

We can't grow actual Yams in this country. They grow only near the Equator. Yams can get up to 5' long and look more like a branch of a tree with heavy bark. The flesh is white, and tastes nothing at all like what we call a "yam." I've never seen one. My wife saw some in a market on some island in the Carribbean. According to her and everything I've read, even if we could grow them here we probably wouldn't.

What we call "yams" are actually a variety of Sweet Potato. Super Markets used to have to label their Yams, "Sweet Potato Yams." Apparently they aren't required to do that anymore, as it's been many years since I've seen them labeled that way. "Sweet Potatoes," the more yellowish of the two, have a drier and coarser texture than the more moist and fine fleshed Sweet Potato "Yam."

We've been pulling both out of my beds since August, whenever we want them for dinner. The vines are still green and make a beautiful ground cover for the 6-8 months they're growing. I simply move the vines aside, brush around the base of the plant, and ease out as many as I want. I let them sit under the awning the rest of the day.

At dinner time, I wash them off, split them down the middle, rub olive oil all over them, and rub some Kosher salt on all surfaces. I put them cut side down in a cast iron pan, cover it, and turn the burner on medium for about 15 minutes. About half of the cut surfaces get blackened. After about 15 minutes, I turn them over, cover them again, and in about 15-20 minutes, when they're soft to a fork, they're done. We eat them just like a baked potato, blackened skin and all--a little butter, a little salt....YUM! 

Sweet potatoes/Yams are one of the most vitamin and mineral laden things we can grow in our climate. They make a more beautiful ground cover than the Ivy used for the purpose, and I'll easily get 100 lbs. or more from each bed.

Now I realize I could plant lawn in those beds, and have a nice lounge chair there under the tree. But I'd have to mow the lawn. I just plant the Sweet Potatoes and Yams in April, have a more beautiful site to look at than any lawn--and I don't have to do a thing from April through December, when the lovely things will be all gone. But they'll be back in the spring---for sure they will be back in the spring!

I've tried to encourage my friends who have lawns to dig them up and plant Yams and Sweet Potatoes. I guess it wouldn't be politically correct. It would be infinitely healthier, much more beautiful, enormously more beneficial to the environment, but simply not done.

I'll have to work on being more "politically correct." Or not.

What my DVD buyers are saying....

Hi Lee,

Yes the result comes from the effort but without the proper teacher the student has nothing As I have witnessed firsthand working in the school system for the past 30 years.

You got me motivated in the very early stages when things went wrong I could have very easily packed it up and found another hobby to enjoy.

 

You are very humble but the world is a better place because of people like yourself that help others and help the planet become a safer place within our little square footage of space we occupy.

 

Well I guess I should give you my update from this past weekend?

Oh it was a good one and some of the judges actually wanted to ask me questions and pick my brain and get some inside information?

(from Me).

Lee I came in first place and the judges expressed how they have been watching my development and have seen amazing results in the past growing season.

They said my tomatoes were actually perfect in all categories and considering the extreme heat we experienced in Toronto this year that by itself is a task alone!

They said do you realize who you have beaten in this competition?

I said I think so everyone else on the table, then I was told you have beaten master gardeners ,horticulture experts and farmers from across this province of Ontario.

I was told that I should be very proud of my accomplishments and being only my 2^nd year of competing stay on track and keep developing to your finest ability.

 

So regardless if you feel I give you too much credit in my heart alone I know you had a very big part of this success and I thank you for that and will forever be your friend for helping me reach this level in competitions.

Have a great day.

Regards,

RW

Hi Lee,   Oh that makes me so happy! You deserve so much credit and respect and recognition! You alone have changed my life in such a positive way, I can not express my appreciation and gratitude. The joy that I get from following your mentor ship is immeasurable. The tomatoes that I have eaten, given and still on the vine are a testimate to your skill and generosity.    You are Tomato Man, but people on my block think I am, I always tell them I am just a student of the MASTER.   WF

The 3 Sisters in the Garden

 

Some years ago I got into quite a heated skirmish with an old Indian over the 3 Sisters. I told him the Indians were out of their minds when they planted the 3 Sisters: Corn, Squash and Beans together. As one would guess, he took exception to my comment.

 

I told him; 1) The green beans wrap their vines tightly around the ears of corn as they grow up the corn stalk, making it impossible to take ears of corn without killing the bean vine. 2) If you try to harvest either beans or corn, you must step on your squash and squash plants, causing them irreparable damage. 

 

This old Indian apparently had never gardened, because he couldn't enlighten me on why it didn't work for me. But I did, finally, figure it out. 1) The Indians let most of their corn mature, for grinding into corn meal for the winter. They didn't ruin their beans to take ears for fresh corn on the cob. 2) Beans were also not lightly steamed, or used fresh--they too were harvested only after they had fully matured and dried, to be cooked throughout the winter. 3) They didn't grow much, if any, summer squash (Zuchhini, Patty Pan, Crook Neck, etc.), but grew Winter Squash. Winter Squash (Butternut, Banana, Acorn, etc.) are those varieties that fully mature, get a hard shell and can be stored for many months.

 

If you plant the 3 Sisters like the Indians did, you'll no doubt have great crops. You have no need to go into your garden at all until you're ready to grind your corn into meal, shell your dried beans, and take your squash into your storage bin.

 

But to expect fresh corn on the cob, fresh green beans and summer squash, all grown together, to be a happy growing experience, you're going to find yourself cursing Sitting Bull-- just like I did!

Mulch: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good: Every gardener knows that mulching is a very good thing: 1) It reduces the amount of watering a garden needs. 2) It insulates the soil so that it maintains a more even temperature. 3) It reduces the quantity of weeds in the garden.

 

The Bad: 1) Since most U.S. gardeners don't have to water much in the early spring, it really isn't necessary for water conservation. 2) Putting down mulch before the soil has fully warmed up will keep the soil colder, not allowing it to warm up as well as the days grow longer and warmer.

 

The Ugly: Putting down mulch at planting time in the early spring provides a haven and a breeding ground for slugs, pillbugs and other such ugly creatures.

 

Solution?: 1) Put mulch down after bug breeding season, and 2) Put down mulch after the soil has nicely warmed.

 

I've been applying that theory for the last few years, wanting to be sure I wasn't over-looking something important before I wrote about it. From the beginning, it's worked perfectly! I have almost zero pill bugs and slugs eating my seedlings as soon as they emerge from the soil. I've not had to re-plant anything at all because of bug damage. I've not had to use any pest controls over the entire season for soil dwelling pests in 3 years.

 

Imagine my embarrassment at figuring that out after a lifetime of gardening!

 

Good luck!

To Mulch, or not to Mulch?
In the spring when we plant the weather is cool with higher humidity. We usually get some rain, even here in So. Cal.
The common wisdom is to put down a layer of mulch at that time.
We don't need it, but we just do it because we're "supposed to."
Our biggest pest problems, slugs, earwigs and pill bugs, love us for our labor and our consideration of their needs. We provide a haven and breeding ground for them. They'll devour our seedlings as they sprout and give us problems throughout the year.
I've had to take almost no pest control measures at all for the past few years. I don't create that breeding ground in the first place. Later, when the weather warms and the humidity drops, mulching is a good idea for holding moisture in the soil--if I can get to the soil. Most of my plants are so spread out and enormous by then that I can't put down mulch without damaging the plants. I put it where I can, but mostly I can't get to the soil.
Where I used to have an ongoing battle with all my obnoxious little friends, it's now rare to see one. I don't use any more water than I did when I was providing a protective haven for my worst enemies.
Keep your bed surfaces clear of debris and mulch in the early growing season. You'll stop most of your pest problems before they start.

Tomato Preparation

I planted these legumes in November. They're a mix of woolypod and purple vetch, Bio Master Peas, Bell Beans, and Cayuse Oat seeds. Just before that, I spread fish bone meal, kelp meal and guano over the bed before turning the soil.

After I turned the soil, I broadcast-ed the seeds, raked them a bit to try to cover most of them, and tried to keep the surface damp for a week or so, until they set down roots. I've ignored them since then.

On 13 March, I chopped them with my hedge trimmer, spread 150 lbs. (about 2 lbs. per square foot of bed surface) of Alfalfa Meal over the top, and dug it all well into the soil.
I left the drip system on for about 5 hours, until the bed was thoroughly saturated, and covered it tightly with 6 mil. plastic sheeting,

Today, 15 Mar., 48 hrs. later, the temp of the soil is 120 F. It will easily reach and exceed 140 F. over the next few days. That will kill any possible diseases that might be in the soil.
Around the end of April, I'll remove the plastic and let the soil cool down to about 80 F. I'll turn the soil once more, and I won't find but a few traces of legumes, or anything else other than incredibly rich soil.

About the 1 of May, or a week before, I'll lay in my Tomatoes and hope for a warmer summer this year, than our record cold last summer!

This Morning’s Haul

I was worried that I’d crowded my Japanese eggplants in the bed. I needn’t have been concerned. The 7 plants are in a bed 30” wide and 5 ft. long. We picked 51 of them on Sat. morn, just before the photo was taken. I could have picked another dozen, but I’ll get them tomorrow and another 30-40 in addition. They grow fast. Each plant produces over 100 of the lovelies over the season.

I’ll use about 200 of them in making 50-60 lbs. of Eggplant Parmesan. I make about 20 lbs. at a time, cut it into 1 lb. squares right in the pan after it’s cooked. I put the whole pan right in freezer, pop it out and wrap the individual one lb. pieces, and it’s totally a comfort food meal throughout the winter. We just heat it up one of the 1 lb. squares, and in January or February, there’s no finer dinner.

The corn is always a problem. I only plant 40 seeds in the 5’ x 8’ bed, which gives us about 100 ears—but it all comes ready over about a 10 day period. We don’t much like frozen or canned corn, so we feast on it every night for those 10-14 days. That leaves about 60 ears for our daughter’s family.

What about all the cucumbers? Melissa has made about 30 quarts of various kinds of pickles—the best!

Yellow zucchini is everybody’s favorite, so I planted 3 seeds early in a bed 5’ by 8’. The 3 plants are so big that it’s hard to walk on the sidewalk around them, and one side is completely cut off. We’ve taken at least 100 lbs. from the 3 plants.

This year I planted about 20 pole bean seeds. We’ve taken about 15 lbs. already, and the plants haven’t yet reached their peak. Pepper, our dog, is a green bean freak! He loves all the vegetables, but picking beans with him nearby—and he’s always nearby, is an ordeal. He fixates on what you’re doing with an intensity it’s almost scary. He dances around, focused, and makes it very clear that he wants nothing more than one of those beans. It’s impossible to not give him 2 or 3 during the course of a bean harvest.

If you aren’t growing a few-or literally tons of vegetables like I, you might be surprised at the enormous array of personal rewards that come with growing your own pure, fresh food.