SWEET POTATO PLANTING

[marwen]

So, I'd like to know how to go about planting and growing SWEET POTATOS also known as YAMS

marwen

[Gary350]

I put a grocery store potato in a jar with enough water to cover 2/3 of the potato, about March. It grows several vines that can get long. About May I planted the vines. Cut off most of the potato and throw it away. Cut the rest of the potato onto pieces so there is a piece on each vine. Plant in rows or hills or what every you like. They grow until late October when frost kills the plants. Then dig up the potatoes. They like it hot and dry and don't seem to care if the soil is bad.

[The Helpful Gardener]

This is one of the original farmed crops; still a third world staple as you can sort of kick a hole, stuff it in and water occasionally...

90 to 95 days still going to work up north, marwen? Be careful not to go to one of the longer varieties (try to get locally grown as possible as that will assure shorter season varieties...)

HG

[2cents]

Last year was a first.
My daughter(8 yr old) wanted me to grow some, had 4 friend and dad say, you'll never get anything to grow.
I bought some sweet potatoes for the kitchen and put one in water with toothpicks holding it up. It got 4-7 shoots don't remember, about 4-6 inches each. Also a friend gave me 4 slips(shoots) from his store bought starts.(his died from this same bunch)
I put the 4 slips and the one potatoe in 5 seperate holes about a foot apart, late May. This was almost pure sand with some clay clumps. Horrible growing condition......too long a story to explain why. I fertilized with nitrogen just once just after July 4th. They took off............
The vines took over part of the garden, half of my deck and deck furniture, till MDW pushed them back down into the garden, they were all over the side rails, vines 20-30 feet long.
They rerooted in places. I had 30+ lbs of sweet potatoes from 5 holes. One tater was 3lbs(looked like a nerf football). several 1-2 lbs just like at a restaurant size. And the fruit was terriffic. Wonderful flavor.
It was so easy, I'll never get that kind of production again. I have a tater in water with toothpicks in the kitchen, just like last year. My daughter talked about it all winter..........they are really fun digging them up. I found one of them about 10-12 feet from the original spot, where the vines rerooted. It was truely amazing.
Plan for the space and good luck.

[2cents]

The vines were an excellent source of greens in the compost pile(it really heated up)

[The Helpful Gardener]

Just talked it over with DW and we are adding sweet potatoes to the garden this year. Can't see a down-side other than they are rambunctious, but I am not afraid to cut, so it's all good...

HG