Today, I'm bringing you along for a late sweet potato harvest here at That 1870s Homestead. It’s only about two weeks past schedule, but, as you'll see, a lot can happen in that time! I was excited to see what our new landscape fabric would do for our crops, but, well, we had an unexpected visitor: mice. As I pulled up the vines and started digging, I discovered that many of my sweet potatoes were hollowed out, leaving only the skins behind. I suspect the landscape fabric might have created a cozy, predator-free environment for the mice to feast away without a care.

I also chat a bit about some of the challenges I faced using landscape fabric for the first time—especially around moisture and weed control. It made me think back to the deep mulch, “Ruth Stout” method I’ve used in the past and how it might handle pests differently. We’ll go over my tips for storing sweet potatoes here in Michigan’s cool climate and discuss how I’m planning to salvage and freeze the still-good parts of these nibbled-on sweet potatoes.

Despite the losses, there’s always joy in a harvest, and there’s nothing like getting your hands in the dirt on a beautiful fall day. So, if you've ever dealt with mice, struggled with landscape fabric, or just love a good garden story, stick around. Let’s see what we managed to save, and I’ll share my thoughts on what I’ll do differently next season.
---------------
👕 Shop Our Merch: [ Ссылка ]
🌻 HOSS Garden Tools & Seeds: [ Ссылка ] (Promo Code SHOP1870 for free seeds!)
🌱 MIGardener: [ Ссылка ]
🌺 GREENSTALK Vertical Gardens: [ Ссылка ] (Promo Code SHOP1870 for $10 off!)
🥒 Epic Gardening: [ Ссылка ] (Promo Code Shop1870 to get 5% off!)
🥫 FORJARS Canning Lids: [ Ссылка ] (Promo Code SHOP1870 to get 10% off)
🍃 HARVEST Right Freeze Dryers: [ Ссылка ]
🔦 OLIGHT Flashlights: [ Ссылка ] (Promo Code SHOP1870 for 10% off!)
🛒 Our Favorite AMAZON Finds: [ Ссылка ]
---------------
Mailing Address:

That 1870's Homestead
P.O. Box 179
Newport, MI 48166
---------------
✅ Connect with Us 🐐
YouTube: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
Pinterest: [ Ссылка ]
EMAIL: that1870shomestead@gmail.com
---------------
Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links - at no additional cost to you. We will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase, after clicking through the links. ♥ Todd & Rachel
---------------
00:00 Introduction & Late Harvest
00:53 Discovering Sweet Potato Damage
01:35 Suspecting Mice Under Landscape Fabric
02:18 Digging Up Sweet Potatoes
03:16 Challenges with Landscape Fabric and Irrigation
04:45 Volunteer Potato Discovery
06:51 Soil Health and Compost Issues
08:30 Weed Competition and Drought Effects
10:10 Sorting Harvested Sweet Potatoes
11:18 Dealing with Damaged Sweet Potatoes
13:11 Reflecting on the Harvest and Pest Losses
14:39 Reconsidering Landscape Fabric for Next Year
16:04 Sweet Potato Storage Tips
17:50 Freezing Damaged Sweet Potatoes
18:27 Handling Mouse-Chewed Potatoes
19:06 Wrapping Up the Harvest
20:48 Final Thoughts on Landscape Fabric and Mice
21:29 Future Harvest Plans for Carrots

свернуть