I'm looking at the fluffy substrate mainly to make it a bit easier for me to harvest. I considered growing the sweet potatoes in a bale of straw. But growing in a container kind of has me won over because some say it helps with pest problems. The grow bags will help to extend my garden even more. Every time I'm out planting or waiting for stuff to grow, I'm always wishing I had just a little more space to plant more. I can put the grow bags right on the patio and I'm even considering having quite a few winter crops in grow bags as they are cheaper than many containers and easier to store when not in use. The roommate and I will have most of the summer to decide how to build a mini greenhouse and what we will want to grow. I'd be pretty darn happy to have sweet potatoes all winter, but since I'm diabetic, I know I'd be better off having more green veggies. Last winter was so mild here, compared to when I was in Denver, that it seems a shame not to take advantage of putting out a little extra energy for the reward of being able to eat healthier longer.
Last fall, I wasn't in the best of health and mostly ran out of energy, and most of the winter I regretted not having more healthy food choices. Then I was on bed rest for quite a while. It really frustrated me trying to keep my energy up with all store-bought stuff. Especially after surgery when I was weak and had to expend what little energy I had cooking stuff I really had no desire to eat.
Since I'm still here, even after being told I wouldn't make it to the New Year, I want to eat as much of my favorite garden stuff as I can all year. And that includes sweet potatoes and more sweet potatoes. It will be more interesting for me to see which substrate offers the best results since I've always enjoyed experimenting in my garden. Most of which I can't do on my own any longer, but my roommate has caught my gardening addiction and helps quite a bit with the stuff I can't do.
