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Growing Sweet potato
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Posted by
barbp MI (
My Page) on
Mon, Jun 18, 07 at 12:15
| I have my first garden and planted a Beauregard Sweet Potato plant. It has a runner now about 2' long from the main plant. Where do the potatoes grow? From the vine? From the main plant? Will the vine just take over my small garden? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| The vines get very long and the potatoes grow underground... |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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- Posted by vgkg 7-Va Tidewater (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 18, 07 at 13:08
| You'll find your main mother load of SPs just under the original plant. The runners will probably root along the way and produce a few more but these will be small or "fingerlings" good as French fried SPs. Best to wait until autumn and harvest SPs before the first frost for maximum production. |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| Did you plant the slips on about 6 inch hills of soil? It is important that water should drain out of plants. |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| I read that our sandy soil in Michigan would not require the hill. I am to add soil as growth appears at soil line to cover the growth. Hope that is true. After reading so many forums and articles, I wish I had just planted in a fertilizer bag or in a stack of tires instead. That seems to be the best for cultivating as you remove the bag or tires and the potatoes just fall out. Oh well, next year! Thank you for your input. This newbie really appreciates it!! |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| I have grown them quite a bit and the theory is do not let the runners root or the potatoes that the main plant is producing will be smaller. Don't cut the runners off just lift them out of the dirt every now and then. I got beautiful SP from Beauregard and Porta Rico. I have also had good results with Cenntenial. They are fun to grow and taste far better than store bought. Susan in NC |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| No, do not pile more dirt on them to hill them up like Irish potatoes. They are entirely different. They will grow down into that sand O.K. Some people grow them in containers but they would have to be big enough for them to have some room in there. If you grow them again next year, make a row about 18 inches wide and six inches high or so and plant in that. Mulching would be O.K. but they probably won't even need that, the vines keep the ground shaded like this.
Good luck with them, keep us posted on how they do.
Bill P. |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| My day ends now with all the answers I needed on growing my sweet potatoes. I will definitely lift my vines so they do not take away from my main plant. It is also great to know that I do not have to add soil to cover soil line growth. I hope I can post my success in the fall. Thanks to all of you! |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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Bill, nice plant. How many plants are in the pic and when did you plant? I have yet to plant my slips. Plan to have them in a large pot by July 4th.
Barbp, this is also my first year. I bought a huge pond liner from Lowes for under 20 dollars. It should hold loads of potatoes. I'll be growing 2 varieties of sweet potatoes in these large black containers. I have 3 varieties, but will have to choose just two from georgia jet, porto ricos and vardaman. Any suggestions? Also, I've prepared a mix of compost, sand, topsoil and peat that I hope will work as a good growing medium. Good luck with your growing season! |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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 Sweet potatoe in a large enough pot. |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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Hi ourhappyhome. I do not know how many plants. I had two small potatoes left over from last year. They were the very red ones with orange interior that I like so well, so I just stuck one in each end of that row. The plant(s) on the other end of the row is probably larger than that one. This variety is one that will start making potatoes where the vines root down.
They take quite a long time, you probably need to get them into the ground as soon as possible. Good luck, keep us posted.
Bill P. |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| Thanks Bill, I'll post a few pics later in the season. Love that pot chaman! |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| chaman - Did you hill your slips in your container? I just planted 2 slips in a 30gal rubbermaid container, and didn't hill. I just want to make sure I don't have any problems... Thanks! |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| BTW, those sweet potatoe leafs are very tasty. In Taiwan, where I grew up, we boil a pot of water and quickly cook them for about two minutes, drain and season with soy sauce and a little sesame oil. Tastes like spinach but actually even more tender. |
Hilling sweet potatoes in the pot
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| seraki,no I did not hill the slips in the pot.Soil from top surface to the bottom of pot will serve as a hill and provide drainage of extra water.I use pots with holes in the bottom to provide drainage of extra water. |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| seraki,here is Pic. of sweet potatoes from the pot. 
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RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| How long does the avarage plant(s) take to mature and how can you tell when they are ready to be harvested? Thanks! |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| Thanks for the pic! What a great harvest too! I can't wait the fall for my harvest!! Fresh taters for turkey day!!! |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| It takes about 90 to 100 days for plants to mature.At this time limit remove some soil near the the stem where you will find ready to dig tubers. |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| Gonefishing and caman's photos of foliage appear to be completely different. Is one a sweet potato and one a yam? |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| Annie, the leaves of the sweet potato are mainly heart-shaped (like morning glory leaves), but I've seen some that look more like three leaves that grew together. In that second photo, most of the leaves look wilted. That little leaf with the sawtooth edge is something else, unrelated. Sue |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| Ourhappyhome and chaman, I live in Louisiana. I read somewhere that you need to let the sweet potato sit in a 70 degree room for three days, then plant it or it will not sprout. I was told that you TAKE OFF the slips as they get a few leaves on them, and use them to make the actual planting. I do not see you as doing this...IS IT NECESSARY to remove the sprouts and move them? Thanks! |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| What is the best way to cure tubers that I'm getting ready to dig? I've read 85 degrees for two weeks but the outside temps now are from 60-80 degrees. |
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| Dugs the taters yesterday........... Came up with a wheelbarrow full from 24 slips. I weighed the heaviest at 6# 7oz. |
Here is a link that might be useful: 6# 7 oz. sweet tater
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| Reeldoc, Please, please, please share your secrets. |
Here is a link that might be useful: My garden blog
RE: Growing Sweet potato
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| daikon_tomato could you elaborate on harvesting the leaves? I have planted slips in a large pot and since I am only interested in harvesting the leaves I used an organic nitrogen enriched fertilizer at the time of planting. What I don't know is: how long to wait for the 1st harvest, do I cut all of the leaves/vines or just some(which: the end of the vines or just the bigger leaves), and since it is in a pot will I need to pull up tubers to prevent crowding (could crowding lead to rotting)? |
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