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Lived in Australia most of my adult life in Sydney. There I trained in horticulture and ran a small Nursery business for 10 years. It was successful in some respects but not financially so eventually I took off for UK to be with family.
I took on a small allotment in Histon Cambridge in 2006 that was just grass and is now shaping up quite well.
I was blessed with the donation of a second hand 10 x 6 greenhouse in late 2006 from some friends and after some teething problems have learned how to use it.
whilst I have some training in horticulture there is no substitute for other people's advice and experience and I have much to learn.
This site is not only good for advice but humour and I enjoy it immensely. An excellent resource and I love having my two bob's worth so bear with me spouting off at times.
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Sweet potatoes ; definite result!

Posted 05-10-2008 at 06:50 PM by Glasshousevirgin
Have tried to keep up with allotment despite new job demands and being a didtance from home. Being able to swing by at times difficult but most weeks get there to do harvesting and mnor tinkering.
Therefore very pleased that time for harvesting sweet potatoes has come with the cold finally starting to knock off the foliage anytime now. Not wanting to let the tubers spoil with cold I tentatively dug up some a few weeks ago. Pulling back the black cloth the soil was drier than expected and some snails harboured there but effect on foliage minimal. Digging with a fork I exposed the Beauregard variety first which produces an orange tuber that in parts formed a fat part as you would buy and recognise as a sweet potato. Most of it was a fattened root that tended to spiral round on itself and hard to remove without breaking it. Many thinner roots that looked ready to fatten later grew in the vicinity. Perhaps nearly a kilo of usable vegetable per plant.
My thoughts are given a longer warmer season more fat tubers would be produced and next time I could get them in earlier with the hope of a hotter Summer helping too. They taste fine and given some curing time they may be sweeter later on.
Yesterday had a go at the 1 remaining T65 which had more prolific foliage and the result is some very large tubers vertically oriented and very deep (12 inches or so). More distinguishable and larger tubers but pink with cream flesh. (see photo). Needed more care with removal as easily slashed with fork ends and deeper than expected and more so than Beauregard variety.
Overall quite chuffed at result allowing for beginner and season we have had.
Overall happy with greenhouse production of tomatoes, peppers and chillis even got some small aubergines but that was a struggle.

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