Sweet potatoes in Lancashire

[Roger]

Hi Charles
Just joined following reading some of your books and tentatively moving to no dig at the allotment in Lytham, Lancs. (We enjoy quite mild climate here, just 8 miles or so south from Blackpool.)
This summer I grew sweet potatoes “Beauregarde” in the green house bed with mixed results. I bought “slips” which arrived looking very poorly from a local nursery, so I made cuttings from them which were much better. Five plants produced huge quantities of convolvulous-like foliage to nearly take over the greenhouse! Harvested them in early November at first frost. Some were like enormous potatoes, others smaller and all shapes and sizes. All edible, I should say. Perhaps our season is a bit short for them here? Shan’t grow so many next time, maybe two plants only, and in tubs, I think. Maybe start them by chitting, like potatoes, and taking cuttings from the result.
Question, please: is it better to pinch out sweet peppers and aubergines or grow them as nature would have it, on a single stem?
Regards
Roger

[charles]

Hello Roger and welcome.
I stopped growing sweet potatoes undercover because of the space they grabbed, for low yields. You have done well to garner some harvest in Lancashire. Chitting is a good plan to save money.
I pinched out aubergines this year and found them easier to manage, on two stems in fact, harvests were good. But they grow fine without pruning! It took less time than for tomatoes.
Peppers, I am unsure. If unpruned they sprawl and then developing fruits pull down and snap the stem, so they need constant tying. Maybe someone else has a better way.

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