Sweet potatoes are THE best potatoes to grow because they're delicious, packed with vitamins and minerals, and are really a step up from the regular, old potatoes. Today we'll show you how to grow sweet potatoes from slips. Slips are sprouts that develop their own roots. This is typically how sweet potatoes are grown! Unfortunately, most varieties call for a long growing season, but you can certainly find the “Centennial” variety which only needs 90-100 days to mature. You can purchase sweet potato slips from your local nursery center, local farmers, or grow your own!
How to Grow Sweet Potatoes
Growing Sweet Potato Slips (Stems)
First thing's first: purchase a sweet potato from your local supermarket (preferably organic) and make sure that it doesn't have any blemished or cracks. One sweet potato will yield about 12 slips.
Store that potato in a well-lit, warm room (70-80F). Place the potato or potatoes in a a box with good quality potting soil: about 2 inches apart and 2 inches deep. Water regularly to prevent from drying but be careful as to not over-water which can cause rotting. In 2-4 weeks time, you should start to see the slips (sprouts) come out past the soil.
Planting Sweet Potatoes From Slips:
Once the slips are 6-12 inches in length and all danger of frost has passed, carefully remove them from the sweet potato plant and plant them outdoors in fertile soil.
Make sure the soil is well drained, well tilled, and deep enough to cover their roots. The stem should be about 1/2 inch deep. Set each slip 12-18 inches apart.
For the first few days, water the slips well, and afterwards, water regularly.
Fertilize 3-4 weeks after planting.
Harvesting Sweet Potatoes:
Once leaves begin to turn yellow, you may go ahead and harvest.
Depending on the variety, a sweet potato will take about 3-5 months to grow.
Happy Planting!
