Sweet Potatoes

Hi, I'm new here, just joined the group today.

Does anyone here grow Sweet Potatoes? I wondered if you had any success - tips - and where you obtained them.

Thanks :)

Steff

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Permalink Reply by Hannah Stothard on March 31, 2011 at 23:42

I would like to grow sweet potatoes too. Someone must have tried growing them :)

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Pearson on April 2, 2011 at 8:26

Hi Steff, I'm trying to grow sweet potatoes for the first time this year on my allotment in London.

They need a long, warm growing season (110+ days) which will be a challenge (!) so to maximise chances of success I started growing "slips" on my kitchen radiator back in January and will hopefully have sturdy plants to plant out at the end of May/beginning of June. I'll probably also warm the soil prior to planting by covering it for a few weeks but I don't have a polytunnel so they'll be grown out in the open.

For the slips I simply used an organic sweet potato from the supermarket. If my crop fails this year I may have to resort to buying slips from a nursery so I'll have a variety that is better suited to the UK climate - I hesitated this year because they seem so expensive for what they are.

Here are pictures of the developing slips:

http://gonetoseed.wordpress.com

and here is some useful information I found on the internet:

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-plant-and-grow-sweet-potato...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3340236/The-good-life.html

Fingers crossed!

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Permalink Reply by Melinda Que_Linda on April 2, 2011 at 14:17

I'll be watching the progress of your thread with interest.

I like your blog Caroline!

Can I ask why you dont plant the whole potato or is it because its not a certified 'seed' potato as it were.

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Permalink Reply by Emma Cooper on April 2, 2011 at 17:57

I made my own slips and grew sweet potatoes a couple of years ago. I also gave some to my friend Maddy, and she blogged about her harvest (which was far more impressive than mine ;) at the time - Maddy's sweet potatoes

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Pearson on April 5, 2011 at 14:49

Re: Planting the whole potato, I believe you can grow slips by burying the sweet potato in compost and putting it in a propagator - rather than the jar of water method - but I haven't tried this. In warmer countries you can plant sections of the potato (including an "eye" where the sprouts/slips originate) directly into the soil but we don't have a long/warm enough growing season for this in the UK.

Melinda Que_Linda said:

I'll be watching the progress of your thread with interest.

I like your blog Caroline!

Can I ask why you dont plant the whole potato or is it because its not a certified 'seed' potato as it were.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Willetts on April 5, 2011 at 23:20

Just found a couple of sweet potatoes under the sink and have been researching online. One is now in a pot of water on the kitchen windowsill, will try the other in compost and see how they compare. Was a bit confused about taking off the slips, but apparently you twist off the bits that are growing then put them in water to grow roots to about an inch before planting in pots or soil. Apparently they prefer acid soil, which I don't have, so it may be pots for me if they succeed.

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Pearson on April 9, 2011 at 7:39

Look forward to hearing the results of your pot-of-water vs compost comparison for growing slips! I now have 3 slips that I've detached from the original potato, they rooted fairly quickly in water and I've since potted them up. So far, so good.....

Jan Willetts said:

Just found a couple of sweet potatoes under the sink and have been researching online. One is now in a pot of water on the kitchen windowsill, will try the other in compost and see how they compare. Was a bit confused about taking off the slips, but apparently you twist off the bits that are growing then put them in water to grow roots to about an inch before planting in pots or soil. Apparently they prefer acid soil, which I don't have, so it may be pots for me if they succeed.

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Permalink Reply by Jade Hwang on April 9, 2011 at 14:14

where should I place the sweet potato in a jar of water? in a cool dark place or in sunny position? How long will it take to get a slip? I tried last year and when the slip appear I buried the whole potato and it soon became the tasty meal for slugs. :(

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Permalink Reply by Jan Willetts on April 9, 2011 at 15:45

In a sunny spot on a windowsill, then detach the shoots and put in a jar of water to grow roots. Glad someone else is having a go-we can compare notes!

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Permalink Reply by Jade Hwang on April 9, 2011 at 16:00

Thank you Jan! I am not very optimistic though. Gosh I just love a challenge even when it's against all odd. I could easily put my feet up if I just grow rosemary or oregano which thrive without my help ! :) Good luck to all the hopeful guys here.

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Permalink Reply by SteffLovesSeeds on April 10, 2011 at 20:18

Hi Caroline, I had a look @ your blog, I see you've really gone into growing them. I had to read on to find out what 'slips' are lol. I'm going to have a go myself as I do have a tiny slip, 1.5" - hope that's not too short?

Caroline Pearson said:

Hi Steff, I'm trying to grow sweet potatoes for the first time this year on my allotment in London.

They need a long, warm growing season (110+ days) which will be a challenge (!) so to maximise chances of success I started growing "slips" on my kitchen radiator back in January and will hopefully have sturdy plants to plant out at the end of May/beginning of June. I'll probably also warm the soil prior to planting by covering it for a few weeks but I don't have a polytunnel so they'll be grown out in the open.

For the slips I simply used an organic sweet potato from the supermarket. If my crop fails this year I may have to resort to buying slips from a nursery so I'll have a variety that is better suited to the UK climate - I hesitated this year because they seem so expensive for what they are.

Here are pictures of the developing slips:

http://gonetoseed.wordpress.com

and here is some useful information I found on the internet:

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-plant-and-grow-sweet-potato...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3340236/The-good-life.html

Fingers crossed!

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Permalink Reply by SteffLovesSeeds on April 10, 2011 at 20:21

I did order a couple of sweet potatoe plants because I have exotic beetles (frog beetles, Sagra) who depend on them to breed, and to feed their young. They're supposed to be a difficult beetle to keep :o