Help with sweet potatoes.

Discussion in 'Fruit and Veg Gardening' started by Odif, May 22, 2019.

  1. Odif

    Odif Young Pine

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    I bought some sweet potato plants. Does anyone here know how to grow them please.
     
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  3. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Are they already rooted or just slips ? Not that it makes much difference ! Slips just take a while longer to start growing ! If you can grow regular white potatoes just copy that for the sweets ! Good loose soil and fertilizer ! Sweet potato tops run so spacing at least 3 feet apart ! You can also eat the tops ! They take longer to mature than whites so check the variety for approx harvest time ! When you harvest sweet potatoes they have to cure a while to develop their sweet flavor ! So do not just dig and eat right then ! Refer back to the variety you are growing to see how long they recommend ! Here in the US it is common to let them lay on top of the soil and get a light frost before eating !
     
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  4. Odif

    Odif Young Pine

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    Thanks Mart. They have roots, I planted them about 2 feet apart.
     
  5. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Next time you want to plant sweet potatoes just buy one from a garden stand or any organic gardener and stick it in the soil and water it ! You will have more slips than you can plant ! You can plant the slips as they are and they will take root with moderate water or stick them in a jar and add water and they will develop roots,, then plant !
     
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  6. Odif

    Odif Young Pine

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    One of the slips had no roots, but I planted it anyway.
     
  7. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    They root easily ! One year I stuck a sweet potato in a horse manure pile that was left over from the garden ! I had more slips than I could count ! Generally here they are planted late in the season so harvest time is in cool weather !
     
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  8. Odif

    Odif Young Pine

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    The unrooted slip is looking good. Luckily it is raining.
     
  9. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Good for that ! I am sure it will be fine !
     
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