{"id":60249,"date":"2025-11-04T09:03:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=60249"},"modified":"2025-11-04T14:22:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T20:22:23","slug":"wlbott-sweet-potato-contest-we-have-a-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=60249","title":{"rendered":"WLBOTT Sweet Potato Contest: We Have A Winner!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The winning sweet potato weighed in at 2.07235 lbs<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To account for gravitational anomalies, bribes, time zone differences, Coriolis effect, height above sea level, etc., we have designated a winner: Elder JA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The winner will enjoy the fame, honor, status, and (most importantly<\/em>) financial liability associated with the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1st<\/sup> Place: Elder JA:<\/strong> Guess – 2.0 lbs; delta – 0.07235 lb
2nd<\/sup> Place: Elder M:<\/strong> Guess – 2.2 lbs; delta – 0.12765 lb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1st<\/sup> Place<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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2nd<\/sup> Place<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Day of the Dig
El D\u00eda de la Excavaci\u00f3n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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A Chat with our WLBOTT Agronomist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Truth be told[1]<\/sup>, the tater dig was a bit of a bust. Lots of long, luxurious vines, but not too many tubers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How could this be? I meticulously watered and fertilized them! We held all the appropriate rituals and incantations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/sup> A WLBOTT first!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we checked in with our on-staff agronomist, Elder G<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, were we should have been employing tuff love<\/strong>, we were smothering the tubers kindness, killing them with over-protectiveness. By diverting a significant portion of the Colorado River for irrigation, and gorging the plants with Miracle Grow, we promoted luxuries vines at the expense of below-ground activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WLBOTT:<\/strong>
So… we had a contest to see which Elder would guess the weight of the largest sweet potato in our garden. We dug up the sweet potatoes this weekend. It was a bit of a bust – lots of vine but not too many sweet potatoes. What should we do differently next year to encourage more tubers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elder G:<\/strong>
Ah the Great Sweet Potato Bust of \u201925.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WLBOTT <\/strong>agronomists will be discussing this failure for decades in their secret underground agronomy sub-basement chapel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(left:<\/strong> Elder G sternly addresses the other elders)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But this is fixable \u2014 and actually very common.
Sweet potatoes are masters of looking like they are doing a LOT while secretly doing nothing but building dramatic Instagrammable vines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is what actually matters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Low Nitrogen \/ Higher Potassium<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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If the soil is too nitrogen heavy \u2192 you get vines, vines, vines, vines, vines\u2026 and about four tubers that look like disappointed carrots.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Next year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n