Good questions! As long as you keep some vines alive and healthy until spring, you can use the rooted tips as slips. The challenge is avoiding indoor pests like spider mites and whiteflies. For this reason I would limit how much vegetation you have growing, keeping in mind that whatever roots are present now will be in very bad shape by planting time in late spring. I suggest propagating your stock now, by rooting a fresh crop of stem tips in water, and then potting up some of those plants in late winter. They will grow into lush little plants that can be sunk into a bucket of sand when the weather warms in late spring, forming the foundation stock for your sweet potato slip nursery. Hope this helps.

Very interesting reading. Thought I'd chime in on cherries now that spring is starting to arrive. I have a Black Gold cherry which appears to have now survived 2 winters. The buds were starting to swell this last weekend when I looked at it, same as the pie cherries. Sunday night the weekend before, the temp. reading overnight was 4. The year before last when I planted it, I finally realized I wasn't giving it enough water until Aug. and when I increased the water, it started to grow instead of having just the leaves that emerged in the spring with no growth. That fall, it didn't go dormant until cold temps in Nov. finally froze the leaves down. We only got down to about -20 that winter. I was worried last spring that it hadn't made it, and the new growth in Aug. didn't, but buds came out all over the stem and grew well last year (much more water all summer). In mid Sept. I stopped all water so it would dry down and the leaves turned colors and dropped in Mid. Oct. along with the pie cherries. This winter we got down to about -25, but we also didn't have warm spells like we have had so often the last few years. In fact, this spring it seems like spring still hasn't arrived. One nice day, then back to the 40's and 50's lately (75 today, supposed to be 50 tomorrow, maybe back close to 60 by next week). I get almost no natural rainfall, so controlling soil moisture is easy as long as I have a way water it. Also, the only protection it gets otherwise is a snow fence wrapped around it to try to discourage the deer.

HEre in Maine, we do have unseasonable warmups, but Ive never seen them long enough to germinate items, but like many has said, peas (beans as well) really do not do well sitting in a freeze/thaw cycle of a wintersown containers. I to do not sow now until end of feb or early march, for several reasons. 1. Here there is still plenty of cold weather , long enough to stratifiy what is needed at that time. 2. If we get a BAD winter year.. enough ice/snow will crush your milk jugs, Ive seen it, Ive had years where Ive lost most of containers when I used to sow around Christmas before. 3. Its usually a little warmer , if I wait for a warm weekend around this time frame, I can actually sow outside and use a hose, this greatly reduces the mess I make in the house. BTW, I always direct sow peas.. Ive really handnt any issue getting germination , I never soak either, just plant them when its still cool out (frosty weather) along with your spinich time frame (though recently I enjoy wintersowing my spinich) Silverkelt

Have you invited anyone who will dance, even if they are the only one? The hardest part is getting the first few people on the dance floor. After that, people usually feel more comfortable about dancing -- since they weren't the first or the only folks on the dance floor. Also, I've noticed that people are more ok about dancing if the lights aren't too bright (for several reasons!). Having some special lighting (disco ball, colored lights, or fog machine -- all can be rented) will also make the dance floor more appealing. But, most of all is having some boys and girls that WILL dance, that WILL draw out others to dance with them. Not just the one couple who will dance but only with each other. Good luck Susan (The mother of a 21 yr old and 16 yr old!)