Sweet Potato Slips - Step TWO!

Two of the sprouts finally seemed large enough to try rooting. This morning I gently twisted the sprouts from the sweet potato. Then I laid each sprout in a small dish of water, where they will stay until they root - which hopefully will only take a few days.



The other two potatoes do not seem to be rooting well - but they have sprouts. I will monitor them a few more days (now that I've changed their water) and see what happens. If no more growth happens, I may try shaving a bit more off the bottoms to see if that will encourage more roots. Fingers crossed!

The Hoop House Demise

Yet again, the wet heavy snow has decimated my little hoop house structure.

Hoop House Collapse

My structure obviously needs re-structuring. I made it of PVC with short sections connecting each hoop at the top. I had decided to NOT use PVC glue, as I wanted to be able to dismantle the whole thing come summer. Unfortunately, this has lead to easy spots for disconnect when the snow gets heavy. I also didn't clip the plastic sheeting to the individual hoops, as I had done on my small hoop structure last year. The plastic is not as taught as I would have liked, also leading to the current structure fail. Well, we live and learn. By next fall, I hope to have a more permanent structure (aka - small green house) put up, made of reclaimed window sashes. Or possibly another hoop house, but this time made of metal conduit and wood ends, to aid structural integrity.

Luckily, my plans of winter gardening this year did not come to fruition, due to travel. Otherwise, the downed structure (with almost every snow fall) would have been more heart wrenching. So far I've only put some potatoes in buckets and there are a few small pots of herbs that are overwintering in there.

Hoop House On a Good Day (and the girls enjoying some range time!)

Annie's Project - New Jersey

This year, New Jersey is hosting "Annie's Project" Classes!

So what is Annie's Project?? Well, it is an educational program dedicated to strengthening women's roles in the modern farm enterprise. Annie's Project's mission is:

"To empower farm women to be better business partners through networks and by managing and organizing critical information."

To learn more about Annie's Project or to find out if classes are available in your state: Annie's Project

Unfortunately I missed the first class, as I was visiting friends in Ontario. They went over writing a business plan. Sorry I missed that, but I am awaiting presentation notes from our County Ag Agent. Last week we discussed the importance of marketing and using social media. So now I have a twitter account, and I am more determined to keep up my blogging. Maybe even start a Face Book page for my little business.

Here is the Press Release from Rutgers!
Rutgers Launches First-Ever "Annie’s Project" in New Jersey

I am so glad I have the opportunity to take this class! Though I do not currently have a farm, or work on a farm, and I only do small scale private garden maintenance (aka - weed pulling for other people), I think the information I will gain will become invaluable to me in the coming years, as I get closer to my ultimate life goal of small scale farming in Prince Edward Island, Canada. (Or maybe somewhere in eastern Ontario...or possibly the Adirondacks!) I will also be able to apply the general, practical business knowledge to my current business.

Sweet Tater Slips Update

Well, after a month of waiting for it to sprout...so far - only roots! And such lovely roots they are. My grocery store sweet potato I now believe was most likely treated with some anti-sprouting medium. Also, the water turned cloudy, and while changing the water I discovered that the entire potato has turned to mush! Lovely roots, mushy potato. Time for it to go into the compost pile.



Luckily, I had a few other sweet potatoes on the counter that had started to sprout, so I cut the end off of three of them, stuck them in water (just like my previous potato) and VOILA! Sprouts!



I'm going to give them another week or two before cutting them off and rooting them. Hopefully I will be able to get a half dozen slips or so to plant.

Now on to starting my seeds...Today it will be the various lettuces that I've collected (Okay - I'm a seed hoarder...I admit it! But I refuse an intervention.), radishes, onions (a new thing for this year - trying to start them from seed), leeks, arugula, and Ramapo tomatoes.