Olden Oasis

Planting sweet potatoes We are nearing the end of April, the perfect time to plant sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes (Ipomea batatas) are a root vegetable that's native to Central and South America. They thrive in the heat and humidity because they are tropical plants. In actuality, sweet potatoes are not part of the potato family. They are part of the morning glory. The part of a sweet potato plant that we harvest is a tuberous root. There are several different varieties of sweet potatoes that you can grow, but today I will be planting Centennial sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes don’t start from a seed like the majority of other vegetables do. Instead, they grow from what are referred to as “slips." Slips are the green shoots that sprout from the tops of a sweet potato.  Planting your sweet potatoes to grow slips You can place a sweet potato in a glass or jar of water or lay it directly in a container of dirt (as I am doing here today). I prefer starting my sweet potatoes directly...

Why You Should Prune Flowers on Your Potato Plants Potato plant flowers pop up towards the end of the plant's life cycle to attract pollinators that help with reproduction. This is super important for the plant's survival. Sometimes, flowers can show up early if the plant has too much fertilizer or if the weather is really extreme. Why pruning is important Reason 1: Safety First It's a good idea to snip off those flowers for a couple of reasons. First, it can prevent curious kids or pets from eating parts of the plant that could make them sick. Reason 2: Better Potatoes Cutting off the flowers can actually help you get more potatoes in the end. When a plant gets energy into making flowers and seeds, it takes away from making those yummy tubers underground. By snipping off the flowers, you're telling the plant to focus on growing those potatoes instead. How to Prune To prune the flowers, grab some scissors or gardening shears and snip them off at the base of the stem. Th...