July 31, 2012 - What Are The Chances?

What are the chances this entire carrot root would come out without breaking off?

You might have to click on the photo to see just how long it is, but the entire carrot, with root, measured just over 23".



 How perfect is this, my very first sweet potato?


OK, so it's a bit small.  It was hanging off the roots of a slip I had growing in a pot for decorative, not gardening purposes.  I hope the ones I'm growing in the garden are as perfect, but much, much larger!


31 comments:

  1. Wow-you must have great soil to pull up that carrot without breaking off the root. That, or that is ONE TOUGH HOMBRE carrot-LOL!

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    1. Sue, it's unbelievable that the long root came out without breaking. I've had several not-too-large carrot tops just break off when I tried to pull them, so I assume they have uber long roots too!

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  2. I have to laugh at the little tiny potato. If I didn't have a reference I would have guessed it was a full sized beauty.

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    1. Daphne, we should all grow such lovely, but large sweet potatoes! It's absolutely perfect.

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  3. wow! that's a long root for a carrot! I wonder how big the carrot would have been if it grew longer. Nice on the first sweet potatoe! I planted some slips this year but not sure what to look for when or when they'll be ready as it's first time for me too. Are they in the ground or above it?

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    1. Jenny, this is my first time with sweet potatoes, too. I do know the tubers grow underground, and I think they should be dug in the fall. I found this information on line:

      While sweet potatoes can be dug as soon as the tubers have reached a suitable size — between three and four months after planting the slips — the flavor and quality improves with colder weather. Some even wait until after the first frost has blackened the leaves, but only if you can get all your sweet potatoes out of the ground quickly and right away. Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening makes the following recommendation: “You can harvest as soon as leaves start to yellow, but the longer a crop is left in the ground, the higher the yield and vitamin content. Once frost blackens the vines, however, tubers can quickly rot.”

      Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/grow-it/harvesting-sweet-potatoes-zb0z10zkon.aspx#ixzz22DntvR9W

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  4. Wow, that carrot was reaching for the center of the earth. The sweet potato is cute.

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    1. Rachel, I imagine a lot of carrots grow that way in my sandy soil, but the root breaks when I pull them. I've certainly never seen one that long!

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  5. It's a wonder for such small carrot to let out long root!! your sweet potato is definitely cute..., cute things don't have to be big.

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    1. Bangchik, it's too bad the sweet potato wasn't even big enough to eat.

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  6. holy cow that is one long root on the carrot!!

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  7. Holy Moly, that's one long carrot! And perfect looking too! I love sweet potatoes too, but haven't had the guts to try growing them yet. Hope you get lots!

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    1. Nutmeg, I hope I get a decent harvest of sweet potatoes, but I'm not planning on very many with only 2 slips planted in a whiskey barrel ;-)

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  8. That is a huge carrot..you must have very deep and healthy soil!
    Have not been on my computer much this summer. I just noticed your
    picture changed. That is a lovely picture of a morning glory...we have a lot of brown here
    in illinois and not too much green. If you skip a day of watering your garden will be gone!
    robbie;:-)

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    1. Robbie, I'm so lucky to have unlimited water here. I feel badly for all of you who are going through a drought this summer. I definitely don't have any brown in my "jungle", I can't even find the brown paths in most of it!

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    1. Vanessa, if it were all fat carrot instead of skinny root, it would feed us for a week!

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  10. I was so looking forward to growing sweet potatoes, but my order of slips never came. They were overbooked, apparently... so sad! I hope yours will turn out bountiful!! Oh, and I love your blog! Thank you for sharing your garden and recipes. You have saved me many nights when I just couldn't think of anything to cook for dinner.

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    1. TS, I just sprouted my slips from a grocery store sweet potato. I've never grown them before, so have no idea what I'll end up with! Thank you for the kind words about my blog. Now....go post a picture of that puppy on your blog! I do love puppies ;-)

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  11. What an awesome harvest! Your garden is growing great! I really enjoy your blog! Are the sweet potatoes easy to grow? I have never tried them and would like to! Happy Gardening! Mindy

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    1. Mindy, I've never grown them before. The vines are growing, and they look green and healthy, so time will tell if they are successful or not.

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  12. Wow what a great carrot. We feel lucky if ours make it to 5 inches in our hard clay soil!!

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    1. Stoney, I've had terrible carrots this year, even though I have deep, sandy soil. I'm hoping the fall carrots will be better.

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  13. That carrot is awesome. I wonder what the world record is? HA!

    Love the sweet potato! When did they go in the ground? I need to try that next year (or this Fall?). We LOVE sweet potatoes, fingers crossed you have a large harvest to enjoy and show us all sorts of cool recipes!

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    1. 1st. Man, I got my sweet potatoes in late. I didn't start sprouting the one I bought for slips when I should have. I think I should have had the slips planted by the end of April or the first of May, and I didn't get them in until June. The best way to fix them? Sweet potato fries drizzled with honey! That's how Outback Steakhouse fixes them, and I'm hooked :-)

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  14. Thanks for brightening my day with both pictures, oh my gosh, that carrot is hilarious,

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  15. heheh, couldn't sleep so logged into your blog to find the giant carrot and the teeny tiny tater! lol
    I'm thinking the hot temps caused the carrot to reach deeper for water. not sure. I did start potato slips, then they sat on a windowsill. I have one left that was the orig potato and had slips broken off and put into water to sprout (that died) and the main tato will be a plant perhaps. I had to wonder if you can take the vines off of the main plant and sprout them in water and then start new potatoes or is it a plant for permanant once you plant the potato. hmmm

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  16. If I didn't see it I would not have believed it! You sure you didn't photoshop that? ;)

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    1. David, I can make the sweet potato look like a giant, but I can't fake that carrot!

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