Sweet potatos

[Simply the Pest]

Hi there

Does anyone know how I can grow sweet potatos so that the leafy part of the plant stays relatively short and bushy but potatos still develop? I've just grown one in a black sack as an experiment and it grew just a few leafy parts that got longer and longer and longer...

I went to the Eden Project a couple of weeks ago and they had plenty of sweet potatoes growing there, and they look great all short and bushy, so I'd love to have these in my garden.

On the plus side, I was pleased with the results! From 1 large-ish potato grey three or four about 1/3 the size, and lots of purple roots that I'm sure would have grown into potatoes had I left it. And the original potato is still in 1 piece!

So. Bushy sweet pots. Any ideas?

[opabinia51]

Never done it myself but, you might try just doing the same thing in a medium sized pot. The restricted root ball would decrease the size capacity of the green growth (in theory).

[psychobilly]

were you growing it indoors or outside. Sweet potatoes grown indoors will put out longer runners in search of light. Where as, grown outdoors, there is not a need for the excessive long runners.

[psychobilly]

Also, you know you can break the runners off of the potatoe and set them out, these are called slips. Commercial growers plant tons of sweet potatoes and when they start running, they pull them off and reset them in rows or beds in the field. The seed potatoes are planted in late winter and covered with black plastic till frost threat is over. Then the plastic is removed and the slips are allowed to grow till late may or early june. Then they are pulled, some even cut them now instead of pulling them up. This way, one potatoe could make 4 or 5 new plants to set out in the field. Thus increasing yield and making the seed go farther. Try it next time. Plant your potatoe early, then pull the runners off and replant them in new pots or directly in your garden when the ground reaches about 70 degrees. They need to be set out in deep loose beds. As the potatoe grows build the soil up around the plant to make a large hill around each plant. Harvest mid to late September. Provided of coarse your growing season allows this. Good Luck