My Sweet Potatoes ' Have Come A Long Way ', Nobody Knows It But Me!

The sweet potatoes that I had dug up yesterday. 

A neighbour of mine looked on in awe as I dug up some sweet potatoes from my front yard planter yesterday morning ( when I happened to be at my home in Ipoh for a short two hours ). She was amazed at the quantity and size of the sweet potatoes that I had dug up.

" You know, I've planted sweet potato vines many times since years ago but they've never had any sweet potatoes. " she told me. 

Just then, as she was telling me this, another neighbour ( whose house is on the left of hers ) came out of her house. She called out to her and asked her to come over and see my sweet potato harvest. 

" A lot of people have said that you've got to plant the vines on raised beds in order to get some tubers ( sweet potatoes ). But as you can see, she didn't! Yet, she managed to get some - some quite big ones! How's that possible? " she asked her next door neighbour, pointing at my newly-dug up sweet potatoes.

Not really expecting an answer, she continued, " Moreover, her planter is so small and she is seldom around to look after the vines, what more, water them! Oh, I just can't figure out how she can easily get those tubers! And I must admit that I'm actually quite envious of her! " ( Little did she know that I have actually put in a lot of time and effort in nurturing the vines and weeding the planter they are planted in whenever I got to be around! )

Funnily, her next door neighbour never seemed to get her news right. She suddenly shot these questions or remarks at her as she got nearer, " I thought it's the pumpkin!!? What're all these? Oh, yes you were saying sweet potatoes! Weren't you? How silly I am! That pumpkin thing has long since been a history! Well, what a wonderful harvest all these are! "

All the while ( while they were busy discussing and talking about my sweet potato harvest ), I just maintained an all smiling face. Only when they had finally finished with all the talking and turned to me that I started to speak...

" I'm just lucky and patient! " I said, with a wide smile on my face. " Lucky that nature has ( most of the time ) been kind to me. Lucky that I've got some good soils to work with. And lucky that I've got some coffee grounds and homemade eco-friendly enzymes to feed them, and to boost their energy. Finally and most importantly, I've got an inborn patience. Growing sweet potatoes could take about four months or more. That is probably too long a time for those who lack patience! " I continued, hinting her that ' impatience ' could be the reason she is not getting any sweet potatoes all these years.

........... I have only harvested a few sweet potatoes ( tubers ) ( total weight = 1.2 kg ) this time, but already, it has initiated a discussion among my curious neighbours. The story of my previous one and only precious pumpkin has been ( and still is ) one of the many topics of conversation among my neighbours since three months back ( whenever they meet - while walking their dogs around the neighbourhood in the evenings )! I think if I were to harvest a couple more sweet potatoes when I go back to Ipoh again next week, they would remember and talk about them for years!

My sweet potato vines on the planter before the digging up of the sweet potatoes.