Bush/Semi-Bush Sweet Potatoes

[Glitch]

While hunting for somewhere to preorder sweet potato slips I noticed that there are actually bush varieties available. Anyone have any experience with these?

I am probably going to order from Sand Hill Preservation Center after I narrow down the varieties.

[Whwoz]

They are just as good as the running varieties, only the tops are much shorter and may take a bit longer for the roots to be ready to dig. Overall you are probably better off selecting based on root preferred and controlling tops if too big for area

[Glitch]

They are just as good as the running varieties, only the tops are much shorter and may take a bit longer for the roots to be ready to dig. Overall you are probably better off selecting based on root preferred and controlling tops if too big for area

I wasn't sure how far I could cut back the tops and not affect the final harvest size too much. I grew regular vining sweet potatoes in really big bins last year. I just let the vines run wild across my deck. Two out of the three varieties were successful. I just sprouted grocery store sweet potatoes, so I'm not sure on all the varieties. One was all purple, and then there was murasaki and okinawan. The murasaki and all purple did well, but my okinawan bin was pretty much entirely skinny roots. It was my first time growing sweet potatoes in general.

[Whwoz]

[mention]Glitch[/mention] You can also put a trellis up on the bins if you use them again and tie/guide the runners to the bins to keep them off the deck if you want to. They don't climb like beans or peas but have no objection to being trained to climb

[brownrexx]

We dug my sweet potatoes last evening. @GoDawgs after I saw your pics I couldn't wait any longer to dig mine!

Since I am new to growing sweets I tried 2 new varieties and DH wanted to try planting some right in the compost pile. I ordered slips of 2 bush type varieties from George's Plant Farm in TN, Vardeman and Bunch Porto Rico. Vines are supposed to be no more than 18" long and they weren't but there were LOTS of them.

31 lbs of Vardeman from 8 slips. Separated from L to R as large, medium, small and damaged-use first.

Vardeman Sweet by Brownrexx, on Flickr

These are the from the slips planted directly on top of the compost pile. I think that they split and cracked due to the excess nutrients. Ugly but still usable Maybe I will make a pie!

Planted in Compost Pile by Brownrexx, on Flickr

Bunch Porto Rico was a failure. The tubers had deep cracks with mold in them and there were also black rot spots all over the tubers. Maybe too much water but I will not grow this variety again. Most of them went to the compost pile but I saved a few just to see what they taste like.

Bunch Porto Rico by Brownrexx, on Flickr

Our chickens free range all afternoon and evening and they were very happy to help us clean up the area where we dug.

20210919_182502 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

[zendog]

I grew both Vardeman and bunch Puerto Rico as well and had somewhat similar results. But I did a little better with the BPR, just not as good as the Vardeman. Vardeman also had purplish leaves at the growth points so it was fairly attractive. I probably won't grow BPR again, but will bring Vardeman back next year. I'm thinking of growing behind a retaining wall where I have some flowers and peppers growing each year. They can use the front edge and their short vines can tumble down in front.

For me, both of these tasted much better than the generic Beauregard that is available in most grocery stores. But I also like the all blue sweet potatoes and I don't think I've seen a bush version for those. I didn't grow any sweets this year since space is limited, but in prior years I had always kept a couple small ones of each variety to start new slips from the following year. Just like garlic, once you get them going you can have your own "seed" so all the cost is upfront.

[brownrexx]

@zendog we tasted the Vardeman from a plant that we dug a couple of weeks ago and we also thought that it tasted better than Beauregard. It was more mild.

I wonder if the BPR does not like growing in our climate in the East. Maybe it is too wet.

[zendog]

@brownrexx It has hard for me to really evaluate plants sometimes, since I have limited room and only grow a few or even just one of a variety at a time and that might be case with BPR. My BPR were grown where they probably got too much shade and competition from other plants, so I think it would be okay if I gave it a better location. I may have to give it another chance sometime, since someone I met through another forum who lives in NC swears by them and I know he also grows for market so he must get reasonable production from them, but he mentioned Vardeman was the definite workhorse of the bush types for him. Maybe he just has more really hot days, since sweet potatoes definitely like the heat.

Vardeman definitely has a nice mellow/sweet flavor, but also I liked the consistency better since it wasn't as mushy as Beauregard seems to get. Of course for pies, and mashed, that isn't an issue I guess, but I mostly just roast them along with other fall veggies.

[brownrexx]

@zendog I am looking forward to cooking some of these Vardeman. We only tried two potatoes so far that were from a plant I dug earlier. The rest of the crop is still curing. I agree that Beauregard seems mushy.

What I would like to figure out is how people who sell sweet potatoes at market get all of them to be the same size. Mine has never been so consistent. I have all different sizes and lengths.

[bjbebs]

These pop right out with a gentle tug. Grown in a stock tank, there's no need for a shovel. The vines run up wire and eventually reach an old apple tree. I'll start digging the plants in the ground but they don't produce as many lbs. per sq. ft. as container grown. These are a purple variety from a grocery store.

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[GoDawgs]

@brownrexx , nice job! Beautiful sweets!. And a good haul for just 8' of row. I guess it's like everything else in that certain varieties are more fussy about the region they're grown in and others are, as someone said, workhorses wherever they're grown.

I grow one called Jewel which is a nematode resistant variety that Pickles bought at a Publix store for the first time I ever grew sweets. I've never seen it anywhere else. Because it's the only variety I've ever grown I can't compare flavors but it sure fills the bill here.

Sweet potato pie? Oh YEAH!