Reed's Landrace Sweet Potatoes

More discussion form the other forum:

I definitely see a reason to scarify if you only have a few seeds but when I got my first twenty or so it was before I did all the reading and research about them and didn't know they needed it so I ended up with 3 plants out of those 20 seeds. I was lucky to find some varieties that bloomed a little for the second year and they and those 3 crossed up and got things started. Actually now that I'm thinking about it I might have just had 2 plants that year and the third was a clone of the one that made the original seeds. Anyway that year turned out to be great with a long dry fall and I collected seeds all the way into November.

Weather is a huge factor in getting good seeds. I think it was 2018 when August was weirdly cool and wet, half of the seeds molded and rotted in the capsules and I discarded what might have been good ones if a capsule mate had rotted because I didn't what that residue left behind. Another year it was hot and wet and a lot of seeds sprouted in the still green capsules.  Even in those bad years I got plenty of seeds but it taught me not to take it for granted. Another reason I think to always keep a nice backup stock of seeds.

I've never so far had a failure in root production but I haven't up till now really been trying to maximize that. I suspect when I move to that stage next year by preparing the soil better and more uniformly I'll see weather related differences. Mostly next year I hope to find yield root quality variation just between the different ones, probably won't really lean much about effects of weather on that for a long time.

I was planning not to sprout seeds next year, just to clone this year's best plants to make the new elite line of seeds but maybe I will do a small scarification experiment. I could sort out 20 bigger, lighter color seeds and 20 smaller darker ones and scarify 1/2 of each, just to see what happens. They would be wasted cause I wouldn't have space to grow them out to see if indeed the harder to spout ones were some how better or worse than the easier ones but I might learn if my theory about seed size and color is true.  But it might just or even more likely be that differences in seed size and color is just another genetic variation like root color or leaf shape.

From what I've seen if you grow sweet potatoes in water they don't make any storage roots at all, even if it's one that does make roots when grown in soil. They do bloom and make seeds though. I don't know if this might be a way to induce blooming or not but if you like the greens it is definitely a way to produce them in abundance and the fish in a small artificial pond really enjoy it too. Some kind of bugs hide, or may just tasty algae grows in those root mats and the little bluegills are always looking around in them. Or maybe they just like hiding in them too.

I saw in another post, can't find it right now where someone was talking about starting or keeping their slips in their aquarium. I have thought about that but never tried it, was afraid my aquarium doesn't get enough direct light. Also mine as a hood and would have to drill a hole to stick the stem through. I think I might give it a go. Would just take a small hole and I bet it would really benefit the fish, probably wouldn't even need charcoal with a mat of sweet potato roots in the water. I imagine if the did take off good would have to trim them back now and then.

Another re-post from the other forum where we talk about sweet potatoes

Quote from: --------- on Yesterday at 04:51:47 AM
"So, could hydroponically grown slips be a viable alternative to bulking up seed?"

It's easy to make slips from any growing vine. It could be in an actual hydroponic system or just a glass of water on a windowsill or growing in the ground or pot in a greenhouse. Any section of vine at least a couple inches long with a leaf joint will root and in a little wile be big enough to make still more slips from it. And by then you can get more from the older one.  It isn't a substitute for seeds though cause it still requires keeping either a plant or roots alive during the off season.

Quote from: ---------- on Yesterday at 04:51:47 AM
"If that's the case, maybe I could get some slips from you guys who have reliable seed setting varieties,  but not enough seed to share. Or I could attempt it on my own. Are the ornamental varieties better at seed set? Is there better seed set with different varieties vs selfed?"

I don't really make the distinction between ornamental and culinary anymore. All it means is if they make useable sized storage roots or not and that I think is just another variable trait in the species. I do think my initial luck in the project was because of the chance discovery of a self fertile "ornamental" and that trait got passed into my overall grex but most existing varieties are not self fertile. I don't really know the percentage of mine that are because I grow them all in a polyculture.

Quote from: --------- on Yesterday at 04:51:47 AM
"I only check this thread occasionally,  so I'm not sure what the state of this project is at this point in time. How are you all getting along with it?"

Currently the "turning sweet potatoes into a seed grown annual" project is largely complete. This year I planted seeds directly in the ground and had about 30% germination within a couple of weeks. That was enough and fast enough to more than fill my planting area. Many that didn't come up fast enough were just left crowded in the planting bed, some ended up blooming but most came up too late to make much roots. A smaller number planted at the same time in a cold frame had about 70% germination in time to plant out but I didn't have enough space and favored the direct planted ones.

There are still lots of questions I'd like to answer but not likely to be able to, especially concerning compatibility. Who is self fertile and why? Who is compatible with one or more particular other and not another and why? Who is compatible with one or more other but only in one direction?  Are there any that are compatible with most or all others? Are self fertile ones compatible with others as a rule or are most of their seeds selfed? And lots of others like how are traits passed on?

I doubt I will ever know those answers cause it is just way more than I could do to answer them and the university scientists don't seem to care or if they do they don't seem to write about it. They just do large scale polycross looking for the next one to patent as a clone. They don't care about garden scale growing from seed.

From what I read pretty much all traits are quantitive so I have just been applying what I call genetic distillation, trying to  cull out those that don't make nice roots, that have giant vines, don't bloom well or don't taste good. Stuff I can do just by looking and tasting, no need for microscopes, DNA tests and mountains of records.

This year I ended up with about 20 that meet most or all of my favored criteria. I archived most of my seeds in sealed test tubes, inside stainless steel canisters buried in the ground. Next year I'm planning on growing mostly just clones of those 20 with hope to make a new elite line of seeds.

State of the seeds right now is roughly. A single seed has about a 30% chance of sprouting within two weeks planted directly in the ground. That plant has probably a 95% chance that it will bloom and set seed, assuming it has an appropriate partner or is self fruitful. It has about a 70% chance that it will make nice roots and seeds within 100 days of sprouting. Probably 70% chance it will have bushy rather than large vine growth habit. I won't venture a guess on lots of other things like color, flavor and so on.

I am hopeful that the seeds produced next year will reveal all kinds of wonder things in 2022. Also I'm making more effort next year to give them better soil and take better care of them so as to learn their real potential as far as yield. If any of of those 20 show superior there I might also clone them again in 2022.

"What a long strange trip it's been"

Dennis Bangham wrote:My wife loves the Asian (white flesh) Sweet Potato.  I have taken over almost all of the garden area and left little room for her to grow these.  Can they be made to grow in vertical tubes made out of fencing?  Leaves then dirt then wood chips and repeat.

I'm coming out of my first year growing sweet potatoes and they certainly can take over the garden! Someone more experienced than I would need to comment on the growing method you asked about, but a simple trellis would get the vines off the ground. Google "sweet potato trellis".

I'm a new gardener. 2020 was my first year growing more than a bucket of tomatoes and of course houseplants. Of course I've helped my mom and grandma, both excellent gardeners, so I have a little useful knowledge. 2021 was my first year growing sweet potatoes from slips I grew from a grocery store sweet potato. The potato began to rot early so I only got 3 slips and planted in a new garden spot with no amendments and a layer of clay about 18" below the surface. Amazingly, they produced a small crop and the vines bloomed profusely (a trait I didn't appreciate until reading more about sweet potato seeds on various websites and this forum.) I'm now hoping to find another blooming variety to grow next year. The neighbors gave us two huge sweet potatoes from their garden (2¼ lbs for the bigger one!) so I think I'll ask them if theirs bloom and if so, try to get some slips as the flavor was superb! I'm hoping to grow my own seeds.

Dennis Bangham wrote:My wife loves the Asian (white flesh) Sweet Potato.  I have taken over almost all of the garden area and left little room for her to grow these.  Can they be made to grow in vertical tubes made out of fencing?  Leaves then dirt then wood chips and repeat.

I don't know about vertical "tubes" if you're talking about something with a small diameter I would guess not. They do however do very well in containers, perhaps even small containers. But not all of them do well that way. In my breeding I select for what I call "clump root" where a nice harvest is found close to and directly under the main stem. This seems generally but not always to coincide with a bushy growth habit. Those do well in pots no bigger than five gallons or even smaller.

Many however have a spreading root habit where the harvest roots grow off of other roots that have exited the drain holes. When that happens, they may be a foot or more deep and two or three feet away from the main stem. When starting new seeds, I about always grow them in pots. If no nice roots are found in the pots, then one of two things has happened. Either that plant did not make large roots, or they are deep in the ground and or far away from the main stem. I keep seed from those plants, but I do not clone them for backcrossing. If and when I ever release my seeds, I want to be able to say that you won't have to dig a big crater to find your taters.

Are Sweet Potato Leaves Edible? Yes, definitely!
It's time to meet the newest bunch of leaves poised for the superfood spotlight: sweet potato
leaves… edible and delicious, with a softer texture and less bitter taste than kale or chard.
A new analysis published in the journal HortScience found the leaves have 3 times more
vitamin B6, 5 times more vitamin C, and almost 10 times more riboflavin than actual sweet
potatoes. Also an excellent source of antioxidants, high levels of vitamin A, thiamin, folic
acid and niacin with impressive amounts of fiber, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc,
copper, potassium and iron. Nutritionally similar to spinach, but sweet potato leaves have less
oxalic acid, which gives some greens like spinach and chard a sharper taste.
As for eating the leaves, they're best used like spinach, The simplest way is to sauté them
with garlic and olive oil just until they're wilted … add a couple drops of fish sauce, too.
(Remove 2-3 strings from the stem, like with celery, by starting at the bottom and pull up.)
Also good greens for chookies, pet rabbits, guinea pigs ….
Sweet potato leaves Quick Facts
Name: Sweet potato leaves
Scientific Name: Ipomoea batatas
Origin Tropical regions in America
Colors Green (Leaves)
Shapes Alternate, ovate to orbicular, Length: 4-15 cm; Width: 3-11 cm (Leaves)
Taste Bitter
Calories 15 Kcal./cup
Major nutrients
Vitamin K (88.17%)
Vitamin A (9.43%)
Vitamin B2 (9.31%)
Magnesium (5.71%)
Vitamin B6 (5.08%)

Health Benefits of Sweet Potato leaves
1. Heart ailments
Vitamin K helps to prevent the arteries calcification which is one of the main causes for heart
attacks. It carries away from arteries and does not allow forming into harmful and hard
deposits of plaque. Vitamin K is a vital nutrients in order to reduce inflammation and prevent
the cells which lines the blood vessels such as arteries and veins. An adequate intake of
Vitamin K helps to maintain the healthy blood pressure and reduces the risk of having cardiac
arrest.
2. Density of bones
Vitamin K helps to maintain the calcium on bones and reduces the chances of osteoporosis.
The studies shows that high intake of Vitamin K can eradicate bone loss in osteoporosis
patients. Vitamin K is essential for using calcium to form bones. Vitamin K enhances the
health of bones and lowers the chances of bone fractures in the postmenopausal women.
The high intake of Vitamin K2 helps to reduce the chances of hip fracture by about 65%. The
evidence shows that Vitamin D and Vitamin K works together to enhance the density of
bones. Vitamin K has the positive effects on calcium balance. The consumption of foods rich
in Vitamin K by the injured patients helps to prevent the sprained ankles and recovers the
broken bones.
3. Pain during menstruation
Vitamin K regulates the hormone function lowers the pain of PMS cramps and menstrual
pains. Vitamin K clots the blood and prevents the excessive bleeding during menstruation and
relieves pain of PMS symptoms. Over bleeding can cause more pains and cramps during
menstruation. The deficiency of Vitamin K can worsen these symptoms.
4. Treats cancer
Vitamin K helps to reduce the chances of colon, prostate, nasal, oral and stomach cancer. The
study shows that high intake of Vitamin K by the liver cancer patients helps to enhance the
functions of liver. The intake of Vitamin K helps to reduce the chances of cancer and
cardiovascular conditions.
5. Clots blood
Vitamin K assists in blood clotting which requires twelve proteins to function. Vitamin K
promotes the clotting of blood which helps to recover the cuts and bruises quickly. When the
blood clotting does not takes place properly then one could experience haemorrhagic disease
of new born. This is caused due to the deficiency of Vitamin K. The study shows that the
newborns should be given the injection of Vitamin K at birth to prevent from HDN.
6. Brain health
The study shows that Vitamin K has the role in the metabolism of sphingolipid in which the
molecules occur naturally which is present in the cell membranes of the brain. Sphingolipids
have a vital role in the cellular actions and assist in forming and supporting the structural role
in the brain. An evidence shows that Vitamin K possess an anti-inflammatory properties
which prevents the brain from oxidative stress which is a free radical damage. Oxidative
stress damages the cells and contributes to the Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Parkinson’s
disease as well as heart failure.
7. Gum health
Cavities and gum problems are the result of the food low in Vitamin C, A, D and K. The
intake of foods rich in fat soluble vitamins helps to prevent the gum disease and tooth decay.
It also plays a vital role in the mineralization of teeth and bones. The food rich in minerals
and vitamins helps to eliminate the bacteria present in the mouth and teeth. Vitamin K works
with other vitamins and minerals to eradicate the bacteria that damage the enamel of tooth. It
also maintains the strong teeth by providing adequate amount of minerals.
8. Reduce inflammation
Vitamin possesses antioxidant properties which eradicated free radicals from the body that
damages the cells and tissues. Vitamin A reduces the chances of food allergies and prevents
the harmful overreaction. It lowers the inflammation which helps to reduce the chances of
neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
9. Healthy skin and hair
Vitamin A is essential for the regrowth of skin and to heal wounds. It assists the epithelial
cells externally and internally. Vitamins help in the formation of glycoproteins which is the
combination of protein and sugar and binds the cells together for the formation of soft tissues.
Vitamin A deficiency results in poor complexion. Vitamin A can promote the health of skin
and also counteracts acne. It keeps the wrinkles and lines at bay with the production of more
collagen which helps to maintain the skin young. It also provides the healthy hair.
Traditional Uses
 Sweet potato helps to reduce the chances of liver disease and stomach cancer.
 It lowers depression and helps to lose weight.
 The fresh leaf helps to treat neoplasia.
 The leaves are considered to possess an antioxidant, antimutagen, anti-cancer, antihypertension, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.
 It is used to provide relief from constipation.
 It helps to enhance the immunity power and prevents the disease and infections.
 The drink made from the leaves helps to eradicate diarrhea, nausea and stomachaches.
 It is also effective for colds, flus, burns, bug bites and scrapes.
 It also lowers anxiety, stress and blood pressure.
How to eat
 The leaves of Sweet potato are consumed as leafy greens.
 They can also be steamed, fried or boiled.
 Chop the leaves of sweet potato and add it to the recipes or sautee with garlic and
butter.
 Sauté leaves with sesame oil and ginger. And then season with pepper and salt.
 It is a best substitute for the spinach.
 In Asia, the leaves are stir fried with soy sauce and garlic.
 It could be consumed raw by adding it to the salads.
References:
http://2beingfit.com/sweet-potato-leaves-benefits-nutrition-recipes/
https://draxe.com/vitamin-k-deficiency/
https://draxe.com/vitamin-a/
https://paulhaider.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/health-benefits-of-sweet-potato-leaves/
Nutritional value of Sweet potato leaves, raw
Serving Size: 1 Cup chopped, 35 g
Calories 15 Kcal. Calories from Fat 1.62 Kcal.
Proximity Amount % DV
Water 30.38 g N/D
Energy 15 Kcal N/D
Energy 61 kJ N/D
Protein 0.87 g 1.74%
Total Fat (lipid) 0.18 g 0.51%
Ash 0.48 g N/D
Carbohydrate 3.09 g 2.38%
Total dietary Fiber 1.9 g 5.00%
Minerals Amount % DV
Calcium, Ca 27 mg 2.70%
Iron, Fe 0.34 mg 4.25%
Magnesium, Mg 24 mg 5.71%
Phosphorus, P 28 mg 4.00%
Potassium, K 178 mg 3.79%
Sodium, Na 2 mg 0.13%
Selenium, Se 0.3 µg 0.55%
Vitamins Amount % DV
Water soluble Vitamins
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.055 mg 4.58%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.121 mg 9.31%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 0.395 mg 2.47%
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) 0.079 mg 1.58%
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.066 mg 5.08%
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 3.8 mg 4.22%
Fat soluble Vitamins
Vitamin A, RAE 66 µg 9.43%
Vitamin A, IU 1322 IU N/D
Beta Carotene 776 µg N/D
Alpha Carotene 15 µg N/D
Beta Cryptoxanthin 20 µg N/D
Lutein + zeaxanthin 5152 µg N/D
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 105.8 µg 88.17%
Lipids Amount % DV
Fatty acids, total saturated 0.039 g N/D
Palmitic acid 16:00 (Hexadecanoic acid) 0.035 g N/D
Stearic acid 18:00 (Octadecanoic acid) 0.004 g N/D
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated 0.007 g N/D
Oleic acid 18:1 (octadecenoic acid) 0.007 g N/D
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated 0.08 g N/D
Linoleic acid 18:2 (octadecadienoic acid) 0.067 g N/D
Linolenic acid 18:3 (Octadecatrienoic acid) 0.013 g N/D
Amino acids Amount % DV
Tryptophan 0.012 g 2.73%
Lysine 0.08 g 2.39%
Methionine 0.03 g N/D
Cystine 0.016 g N/D
Flavonols Amount % DV
Isorhamnetin 0 mg N/D
Kaempferol 0.7 mg N/D
Myricetin 1.5 mg N/D
Quercetin 5.9 mg N/D
*Above mentioned Percent Daily Values (%DVs) are based on 2,000 calorie diet
intake. Daily values (DVs) may be different depending upon your daily calorie needs.
Mentioned values are recommended by a U.S. Department of Agriculture. They are
not healthbenefitstimes.com recommendations. Calculations are based on average age
of 19 to 50 years and weighs 194 lbs.
Check out two more tasty ways to use sweet potato greens:
Sautéed Sweet Potato Greens
1 lg bunch sweet potato greens (about ½ pound)
½ sm white onion, diced

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper
1½ Tbsp maple syrup
1. REMOVE sweet potato leaves from stems and set aside. Remove smaller stems from the
larger, tougher stems. Discard the larger stems and roughly chop the smaller stems.
2. HEAT olive oil in medium-sized pan over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté until
just softened, about 3 minutes.
3. ADD stem pieces and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
4. ADD leaves, salt and pepper to taste, and maple syrup. Sauté until leaves are wilted, about
2 minutes. Serve. Recipe courtesy of from The Bitten Word.
Sweet Potato Greens with Grilled Salmon
1 lg bunch of sweet potato greens
1 tsp canola oil
½ tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
lemon zest
2 (4 oz) salmon fillets
Salt and pepper
1. REMOVE sweet potato leaves from stems. Chop smaller stems, and discard the larger
ones.
2. HEAT oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
3. ADD leaves and stem pieces, sesame oil, and ginger. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, and grate some fresh lemon zest on top.
4. SEASON salmon with salt and pepper, and simply roast or grill. Serves 2.
Recipe courtesy of MJ and Hungry Man.
Tubers are ready for harvest in 4 months from planting in tropical areas and 6 months in
cooler zones
• To harvest, pull back vines to reveal their base and then use a garden fork to loosen the
surrounding soil and expose the tubers. There can be several tubers ready at each planting
spot
• In warm areas, plants can be left in the ground for several years. Best to dig as needed.
Look for a thickened stem, or walk around feeling for a lump, and start digging.
• In cooler areas, harvest crop before winter .Dig in autumn when the soil is still warm. Cure
in a warm, airy place for two weeks before storing at cool room temperatures. Large tubers
store best. Wash and air-dry for a few days and store in the fridge
Tubers are often found 12 inches or more from the plant's primary crown, so dig carefully.
Haven't grown Yacon before but guess it would be similar... Green Harvest Seed Co QLD
says this ...
HARVEST
The plant takes 6 - 7 months to reach maturity. After flowering top growth withers and dies back and
the tubers are harvested. They resemble dahlia or sweet potato tubers, on average weigh about 300
g but can weigh up to 2 kg. Once the soil starts to heave at the base of the plant, dig around to
'bandicoot' a few early tubers to extend the harvest season. The tubers continue to sweeten as the
plant dies back so the main harvest should only take place once all the top growth is dead, usually by
May. Don't leave it too long though, especially in areas that have mild winters, as the plant will start
to shoot again as the weather warms up and the days get longer. The plant needs to be dug carefully
to avoid damage to the crisp tubers. After separation from the central stem undamaged tubers can
be stored in a cool, dark and dry place with good air circulation for some months. The average sugar
content of the tubers increases during storage because of starch conversion. They can also be
exposed to the sun for up to 2 weeks to accelerate the sweetening process

It's been a good bit since I updated this topic. Project is ongoing and doing pretty well. I started more seeds than ever this year and sort of bit of more than I could chew in some ways. I learned quite a bit I didn't know before, one of which is I'm terrible at making videos but here one is at harvest time thig year.

Mark Reed wrote:It's been a good bit since I updated this topic. Project is ongoing and doing pretty well. I started more seeds than ever this year and sort of bit of more than I could chew in some ways. I learned quite a bit I didn't know before, one of which is I'm terrible at making videos but here one is at harvest time thig year.

Any notable updates from 2023 for this project, Mr. Reed?

Jonathan de Revonah wrote:
Any notable updates from 2023 for this project, Mr. Reed?

In both 2022 and 2023 I spent a lot of seeds establishing a direct seeding germination rate. That is planting directly into the ground, outside without any heating or cover just like might be done with beans or anything else. While many will still lay there and sprout weeks or months later, or even the next year, I'm confident to say germination within two weeks or less is at 50% or better. In my climate most that sprout by the middle of June have time to make nice roots, but I only go on with those that sprout within two weeks of sowing.

In 2023 I discovered my favorite ever of my "ornamental" line. Ornamental meaning the plant does not make large storage roots. This plant exhibits a growth habit that makes it very easy to trellis, it almost climbs on its own. It has dark purple leaves with deep lobes, the internode length is very long with flowers at every node. It is one of seven "ornamentals" overwintering inside right now. It is one of two that I've confirmed is self-compatible.

In the culinary line I have eleven that we are evaluating now for how well they store and for flavor. With a couple of exceptions these are all nicely seedy with a bush or semi-bush growth habit and clump root trait. That is the roots grow in a nice cluster, directly under the main stem where they are easy to find and harvest. One, the most bushy and productive I've seen does not bloom until very late so makes few seeds, but it is such a nice plant, I'm keeping it at least for now. Another one has very large vines, which I don't really like but the roots are so sweet and yummy I'm keeping it too, at least until I find a bushy one of comparable flavor. Eleven is too many, so after storage and flavor evaluation I am cutting that down to the five or six, best of the best to backcross with each other next year.

If you watch that video on YouTube there are some more videos from 2023.

Mark,
Thank you for your response! I think this project is so fascinating, along with the other efforts to reinvigorate sexual reproduction in crops that have traditionally been propagated via asexual cloning. Bill Whitson of Cultivariable and Avram Drucker of Garlicana also come to mind. And I believe Joseph Lofthouse has also dabbled in all of the above as well, since he is apparently incapable of not doing all of the cool things. Unlocking the genetic secrets long-hidden by centuries (millennia?) of clonal propagation in the genomes of sweet potatoes, potatoes, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes, etc. is SO exciting to me! It’s like playing the most interesting and perhaps useful lottery ever. I hope to participate in this endeavor in whatever small way that I can while still attending to the duties in my state of life.

I have a few questions for you.

1) In what region/hardiness zone are you located? How far north do you think growing sweet potatoes from seed/to flowering can be successfully accomplished? Has any progress been made by you or others regarding improving cold-hardiness or faster-maturing?

2) Do you have seeds or slips available for purchase or trade?

3) Do you do anything to coax the plants to flower? I haven’t been able to find a lot of information about inducing flowering in sweet potatoes, but I have come across some proposed methods. These include:

- Season extension
- Pruning
- Grafting of non-flowering genotypes on rootstocks of genotypes that flower
- Preventing sprawling vines from putting down roots through trellising
- Growing from full tubers, not slips, so that energy can be devoted to flowering instead of making storage roots.
- Increasing soil moisture/atmospheric humidity
- Treatment with diluted herbicide (40ppm of 2.4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, aka “2.4D”)

It seems to me that these methods are primarily attempting to either: A) coddle the plant into feeling comfortable enough to flower naturally or B) stressing the plant into feeling so uncomfortable that it feels like it must flower to ensure survival.

Have you ever attempting any such methods or perhaps others?

Again, thank you! All of you stewards of food crops are a true blessing to humanity. I believe that the work you’re doing will benefit mankind for many generations.

Jonathan de Revonah wrote:Mark,

1) In what region/hardiness zone are you located? How far north do you think growing sweet potatoes from seed/to flowering can be successfully accomplished? Has any progress been made by you or others regarding improving cold-hardiness or faster-maturing?

I'm in zone 6-ish, mid-Ohio River Valley. I think they can go (and make seeds) quite a bit farther north. They don't like cold, and I don't expect they ever really will, all things considered. Maturity is hard to define in sweet potatoes. They don't get ripe like a tomato; they just grow until harvested or frost killed. Some do of course get bigger, faster than others.

Jonathan de Revonah wrote:
2) Do you have seeds or slips available for purchase or trade?

Not yet but I hope too before too much longer. I've talked to a couple of seed companies but haven't worked anything out yet.

Jonathan de Revonah wrote:
3) Do you do anything to coax the plants to flower?

No, nor anything to coax them to sprout.

Mark are your sweet potato seeds for sale anywhere? Right now sweet potatoes are a non-viable crop as far north as I am but I’d love to try those seeds and see what happens.

Ashley Lutz wrote:Mark are your sweet potato seeds for sale anywhere? Right now sweet potatoes are a non-viable crop as far north as I am but I’d love to try those seeds and see what happens.

My apologies, I see you’ve already answered this question recently. It’s a fascinating project, keep us posted if seed does come up for sale!

Ashley Lutz wrote:

Ashley Lutz wrote:Mark are your sweet potato seeds for sale anywhere? Right now sweet potatoes are a non-viable crop as far north as I am but I’d love to try those seeds and see what happens.

My apologies, I see you’ve already answered this question recently. It’s a fascinating project, keep us posted if seed does come up for sale!

Ashley, I see that you’re in Canada. You may want to try to obtain some sweet potato slips from Aster Lane Edibles’ Telsing Andrews’s breeding work. She was interviewed by Bill Whitson if you’d like more information.

https://www.cultivariable.com/podcast-9-telsing-andrews-of-aster-lane-edibles/

Heartbeet Farm is stewarding Telsing’s sweet potato breeding work. They will have slips for sale MARCH 5th @ 9AM.

https://heartbeetfarm.ca/product-category/nursery/sweet-potato-slips/

Lastly, if you’d like more info about Mark’s breeding work, I found this podcast of Joseph Lofthouse interviewing him.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HNnbYK_AeXk

Thank you very much for the information Jonathan.  If I can get some slips I’ll trial some sweet potatoes this year.

Hi Mark!

I like what you are doing with sweet potatoes, I have a field planted currently with 350 Covington, 350 Murasaki, and 100 "purple" as thats all the info I got with the purchase of slips. I interplanted most of them, and thanks to your post here, I'll be scouting for seeds!

Last season I grew half this amount and did notice some pretty purple flowers although sparse.

I'd love to learn more about landracing in general but especially sweet potatoes as I do currently have a market to sell all these and would like to move in a more self sufficient approach even if realistically only a portion can be viably grown from seed...those would likely be the ones I'd just keep and eat myself or maybe even be able to sell at a higher price if yielding good results:)

I'm in Northern Kentucky which is pretty darn close to your climate maybe a smidge warmer (Robertson County KY)

I haven't updated anything about my sweet potatoes for a while but just posted an update over on the OSSI forum and thought I would share it here as well.

I've just now started collecting sweet potato seeds and finding some capsules that have already shattered and dropped seeds. It's been an odd year in several ways, and I hadn't even kept the paths clear around the pots. It's all cleaned up now and I've started the process of removing lots of old leaves, which makes finding the seeds a lot easier. The plants themselves being grown in pots aren't affected by the neglect and tall weeds in the paths and they are looking great. Since I was careful to make sure soil mix and conditions were consistent this year, I should be able to see any differences in production between the various plants.

I think there are nine volunteer plants that came up early enough that I quickly prepared pots for them and added them to the patch. They all look great too with two especially interesting ones with dense bushy growth and lots of seeds forming. Volunteers are all over the place this year with new ones coming up even now. A couple that ended up being left where they sprouted are just as big and vigorous as those I planted.

After making the slips this spring I just pitched the old roots on top of an unused tub of soil where the just kept making more slips. We plated some of them in two spots in the garden. One in quite a bit of shade and one at the other end in full hot sun. They are all from the same two clones and those in the shade, even without any watering all year look fantastic. Those in full sun and also without watering look ok but are about 1/2 the size of the shade ones. The primary patch is in full sun but has been watered regularly. I've thought before that sweet potatoes might be happier in some climates with a bit of shade, and this seem to support that. Makes it easier to take care of because you don't have to be so attentive to watering.

I think that selecting for the clump root trait and bushy habit along with growing in pots is the way to go with sweet potatoes because it makes harvest so easy. Although they are every easy to trellis so a larger vine, as long as it has clump root does fine too. A tree branch with some side branches stuck in the ground works fine. I'm also more and more convinced that the pots don't have to be really large. I've had good harvests in 3-gallon pots and those I'm using this year are 7.5 gallons.

I have roots from last year that are still good to eat so I know that they easily store for a full year without much effort. I took some to work and used the postage scale, and they averaged about 8 ounces. That's the range I'm hoping for because each one makes for a nice serving. I'll see if the improved conditions this year makes bigger roots or more roots, I hope it makes more. I'll find out in another month or so.

I had resolved to take lots of pictures and videos this year, and I have taken some but haven't processed and sorted them yet. I'll definitely be taking lots of the harvest and the whole patch is more much photogenic now that the paths are cleaned up.

Glad to see any updates to this thread. Have you noticed when they start flowering? Is it associated with how old they are or the temperature, something else? Mine are from the grocery, so maybe they are over cloned and may not ever flower.

I got mine in late. I keep hoping I'll figure out how to get a harvest. Others grow them just fine in this region...

I been at this a long time, and I don't know what triggers flowering. I've seen it stated that they are day length sensitive, but I know for sure they are not, certainly not all of them. I think it is genetic, maybe purely so. I've had seedlings bloom at the first set of true leaves and trialed many varieties that never bloomed at all. I think that in their natural tropical environment they may just be one of those plants that blooms all the time. But yes, it may be, and I think it is, that some just never will bloom.

I do think there may be temperature and perhaps humidity conditions that favor seed set, because earlier flowers rarely set a capsule. But it might take several more years of extremely tedious observation, recording and analyzing, to say that for sure.  

I've fallen behind on posting about my sweet potatoes, so I made this little video the help catch up.

Just another little video about my sweet potatoes.

Mark Reed wrote:Just another little video about my sweet potatoes.

Last Winter I kept some sweet potato vines alive inside, but I also had trouble with spider mites. I’d have alternating battles with spider mites (when things got to dry) and fungus gnats (when things got too moist). I had some success with a ZEVO light trap (for the gnats) as well as spraying a very dilute solution of ZEVO insect spray (for both gnats and spider mites). I also sprayed diluted H2O2 and diluted Dr. Bronner’s peppermint Castile soap. There was never a point of total victory. The plants really just needed to get out in the sunlight so they could grow faster than the pests were doing damage and so beneficial predatory insects could eat the bad guys. Some of the plants looked pretty rough before the weather was warm enough to get them outside.

Very interesting that you discovered this mutation. I’m hoping you’ll be successful at keeping both parts of the plant alive and I’m curious to see your results next year.  

I'm going to watch carefully for seed on my purple sweets.
They are the only ones I've ever seen flowering.
We have one orange that we've grown from clones for more than twenty years and I don't ever remember seeing a flower.  This purple has had just a very few flowers each of the five years we've been growing it.  

I might have missed this info but is there any difference in the potato crop when waiting for seed to mature?
We try to leave ours in the ground as long as possible for that last growth spurt but many times vole damage is too great or we're up against a frost.

inspiring thread!

I just read this thread straight through!
What a wealth of information!

I wonder what size pots you use to grow in ground?
I did this one year in one gallon metal cans (with bottoms cut out) to prevent vole damage...they filled the can completely.

I'm only doing clones as none of my varieties flower except for the purple and it has only a very few but I plan to watch for seed this year.

I want to experiment with holding a few roots for two years as was mentioned by someone in this thread.
A variety our son gave us sat two years in a paper sack on their refrigerator and then sprouted...I've grown them for two years now but find them difficult to sprout slips so have put some back for one more year...could they have been bred for extended storage?  He got them at Krogers originally and grew at least 3 generations before giving me some.

any updates on your projects?
links to more sweet potato seed discussion elsewhere?

Hi Judith, I just noticed your fresh post and the one above.

I wonder what size pots you use to grow in ground?

I'm currently using 7.5-gallon pots, but I've had good luck with even smaller ones. I've selected heavily for what I call "clump root" where all the nice roots are in a bunch directly under the primary stem. When growing a new sprout in a pot, if it has the clump root trait, the roots are in the pot even though lots of feeder roots exit the pot into the ground.  A plant may still make good roots off of those feeder roots outside the pot. I don't keep those to clone because I want to eliminate the trait of roots spreading far out or deep down. It's not an issue in pots but if grown in the ground it is much nicer if all your roots are easy to find and harvest. I was gifted fifty of the 7.5 - gallon pots, it's much easier now to compare growth habit than when I was using scavenged pots of varying sizes.

I might have missed this info but is there any difference in the potato crop when waiting for seed to mature?

I can't see any real relationship between seed production and root production. A plant that does make seeds makes roots just as well as one that doesn't. A good portion of the seeds mature well before time to harvest the roots, so you don't have to wait for the seeds to mature. On a preferred plant I often harvest the roots around mid-September and replant the top or just stick it in water and it continues to mature seed until frost kills it. Even little stems taken inside in jars of water keep maturing seeds.

There is more info over on the OSSI forum OSSI Breeding Sweet Potatoes

There is older stuff too on the Homegrown Goodness forum but it sort of died out and I have forgotten my log in. I'll try to track that down.

I've written about it too on the Going To Seed forum GTS Reed's Sweet Potatoes but it is mostly the same as here and on OSSI

And I have little YouTube channel with some videos about sweet potatoes. Reed's Gardens

As I learn new things about them, I realize was wrong on some of the older stuff. I'll be making some new updates and videos very soon, as I get ready to get started this season.

Re-posted from OSSI OSSI

Haven't made any updates for a while but the project continues. Also, I didn't get around to making a lot of videos, but I did finally make a new one about this year's volunteers and some ideas I'm getting from them. Not yet ready to articulate the ideas as they run in lots of directions and are influenced by a lot of variables. Basically though, I think I'm getting closer to breeding sweet potatoes to be a seed grown annual, rather than just producing more and more good clones.

Anyway, below it a little video about the volunteers, which I believe for lots of still unproven reasons may be a step closer to TRUE SEED GROWN annual sweet potatoes.

A couple more little videos about this year's sweet potato project.

I'm years late to the party, but if anyone knows where to get Mark's (or some other landrace/grex variety of sweet potato) in the continental US let me know.

Just posted an update about my sweet potatoes over on OSSI, I'm copying it here

Sweet potato season will be starting soon. I've been thinking about making a video about it and I will I guess pretty soon but I have been a bit lazy about it so for now just a written update.

My two favorite ornamental plants that I have referred to as Miss Bloom and Likes to Climb have done very well over winter. Always before I kept them as potted plants in the unheated room upstairs where they lived but just barely. This winter I just kept them as cuttings in pint jars of water in the south facing windows downstairs and they have done really well. Not nearly as much issue with spider mites overall and the lady bugs helped out with that too.

All through my work, along with selecting for sexual reproduction of superior lines, I've also worked to see just what a plant really needs to live and produce. For over winter storage, all a sweet potato needs at the beginning of the growing season is to not be dead. It doesn't matter how bad it looks when the longer days and warmer temps arrive, if the plant has life, it will soon be growing again. Doesn't matter at all to me what the "best" way to do it might be. I don't know how many plants I have, some died early on because the stems were not long enough and they didn't make it down to the water. I'm guessing I have about ten nice plants each of the two ornamentals and they have started growing nicely so each can easily make three or four new cuttings. Lots more than that actually if I keep letting them regrow after trimming and there is lots of time before they need to go out. They were just in the jars of water and fed once in a while with the stuff I squeeze out of my aquarium filter. This method was lots easier and more productive than keeping them as potted plants.

On the culinary side I'd have to go look to see how many I have, but again I'm getting pretty lazy. I remember I have plants #s 10 and 11. They are both very nice bushy, seedy plants with orange/orange nicely sweet roots that grow in the clump habit that I like. I also have plant # 7 which is similar except it has white/orange roots and is very, very seedy. All together I guess I have eight to ten culinary roots saved to grow this year. One is a 2025 volunteer with white/yellowish roots that I think I might like but need to grow more of it to see for sure. It's roots boarder on what I call clunkers, meaning they get bigger than I like. I prefer clusters of roots around six to eight ounces over a few much larger ones. I grow most of mine in pots, so it isn't an issue to just dump them out but if the really big ones were grown in the ground, it would be hard to harvest without damaging them. Also, if you have a three-pound sweet potato you can cut off a piece to eat and the rest will still keep for later, I would just rather have six 1/2-pound sweet potatoes.

I had mentioned in one of my videos that selecting for the traits I like I might also be selecting for the same boring heart shaped leaf. There is nothing wrong with that, I reckon, I just like a little more variety and the 2025 volunteer I mentioned has a thin finger shaped leaf so I'm going to turn it loose in the culinary patch.

I only have the two ornamentals but last year three or four great ornamentals volunteered but I did not keep them. Now that I know how easy it can really be to keep them, I'm going to save more of them from now on.

I've said before that I might not start any new seeds, but I always do, plus I always find volunteers. Volunteers are decreasing a little though because I'm keeping the garden more heavily mulched most of the time and that seem to prevent them from having a chance. I have the same issue with my marigolds, dill, radishes, mustard and so on but that's a different problem that needs addressed overall.

So, I probably will start some new seeds, but I think I'll open the vault, put in most of the newer seeds and get out some of the much older ones. They have lower probability of having all the preferred traits of course, but they also have a bit more diversity of phenotype and I think it might be fun to explore that more, now that I have little better handle on what I'm doing. Even back in the beginning, more than ten years ago some really nice ones showed up but I didn't keep them more than a year or two for backcrossing. To prevent contaminating the current project I'll keep sprouted from old seeds isolated from the rest. I did keep a small area around last year's patch mostly mulch free so should also have some volunteers.

I grew 6 varieties last year that I started from slips myself. I had plenty of flowers, and high hopes for a lot of cross pollinating. However, I  never noticed any seed being produced beneath the flowers. Loads of pollinator activity too. It's there a trick to getting true seed that I'm unaware of? Is it possible that they did produce seeds & they just dropped to the ground? I don't believe that's the case, but if so, do they volunteer readily from overwintered seed? TIA