sweet potatos

[woodsman1031]

Hello,

Is there anyone out there that has grown sweet potatos? I am planning on planting some next year and I would appreciate the help. I have only planted irish potatos in the past and no Idea where to start.

Thanks

[zebraman]

Hey Woodsman1031; First of all Swt.Potatoes are members of the Morning Glory Family(Ipomoea)and there are differences in different varieties.A good place to start is
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/ When you order slips ask Glenn which varieties are crown setters and which are not.The white-fleshed vars. are the sweetest.Also let him know you are new at growing these and ask if he could recommend a book that will answer all your questions.
Later on you will be able to grow your own slips,but until you know what you are doing I would start with purchased slips from a realiable source.Also don't worry about cross pollination as Sw.Pot. rarely flower and almost never go to seed.-

[MarechalNiel]

You can start your own slips, it isn't difficult at all and may be a good way to go if you don't want to spend a lot of money on the slips. The old method of suspending a sweet potato halfway in a glass or bowl of water and waiting for the sprouts to start is good, but I have also started them by setting a sweet potato on it's side and buried halfway up with potting soil in a shallow pot or pan of some sort, and waiting for the sprouts to start. As they grow, you will see where they attach to the 'mother' sweet potato, and you can easily remove them with a very sharp knife. Then you just plant out the sprouts/slips, but they don't like cold or even chilly soil at all and often will sulk or rot under such conditions. They also like soil that is as deep as possible and is a bit sandy. Tight clay is a death sentence for them. If you can grow Irish potatoes, you can just as easily grow sweet potatoes.

[hillbilly_mom]

Sweet potato plants will also spread out more than the Irish potatoes do. The plants look more like a ground cover than a "hill", like the Irish potato.

[woodsman1031]

Do you not have to pile dirt on them like potatos?

[gypho]

No, you bury them. Dig a hole after the threat of heavy rains and frost has passed, and bury the cut slips about 4 inches deep.

They will grow. They need water, but on a steady basis, not a heavy basis.

gypho

[zebraman]

Hey Woodsman 1031;Crown setters produce at the crown and you half to keep lifting the vines to keep them from rooting,which causes a decrease in yeild.
Other Cultivars root all along the vines and produce Sw.Potatoes at all the junctures where the vines take root.
This is why I suggested that you contact Glenn Drowns at Sandhill as he carries a large selection.Most of the commercial crop comes from CA and may not do well in your neck of the woods.You will also not know which plant type the ones from the grocery will have except by trial and error.Also most Commercial Sw.Pot.s are treated with sprout inhibiters.And besides Sw.Pot slips are not expensive.-