Saturday, 31 July 2010

Chinese yam update


I sowed the yam tubercles in the greenhouse back in April and planted them out at the beginning of June. I made a little bed for them by the shed there, adding plenty of compost of course, and because the area is weedy with field bindweed I lined it with weed control fabric to a depth of about 50 cm. Most of them have managed to reach the top of their little sticks so I've put some bigger ones in. Next year they should make lots more foliage and this is also when the yam tubers should be ready for harvesting. The side of the shed faces south-west. Spoilt to death they are so they'd better perform. The marigolds are for good luck.

1 comment:

Compost John said...

Glad they grew, and at the end of this year the pea-sized tubercles will be 5 to 10 cm long. Replant next spring and they'll again double or triple in size... you could eat them the, but I reckon you should replant them for a third year, at the end of which the tubers will be MASSIVE!

I don't think you'll get any tubercles on outdoor plants, I haven't, just the ones in the conservatory. But I look forward to future updates...
Yours, John