Sweet potatoes

[grahambee]

looking for hints and tips on growing sweet potato to get slips
was planning on putting these in Planter bags to grow in my greenhouse

 

[The Cumbrian]

looking for hints and tips on growing sweet potato to get slips
was planning on putting these in Planter bags to grow in my greenhouse

I know nothing about Sweet Potatoes but if they will grow from tubers in your Greenhouse why do you need slips?

 

[RoofTops]

An interesting idea - I hadn't thought of growing them.

There are some tips here: http://blog.gardening-tools-direct.co.uk/2010/02/growing-sweet-potatoes-in-england.html

On a vaguely related note I sowed some broad beans into plastic gutters in my greenhouse yesterday - a new variety for me called Express which is supposed to be the fastest growing. Once they sprout I will take them outside and slide them into a shallow trench.

I also sowed some carrots directly into the greenhouse bed - Amsderdam forcing 3-Sprint, again a new variety for me but supposed to be a small carrot and can be sown at this time of year, even outdoors.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I bought slips last year and they were a total failure
Lots of vine but not a single root.

 

[drstitson]

easy to do:

get a 1.5-2l pop bottle and cut to off as if to make a wasp trap.

fill with water and suspend sweet potato (correct way up) part submerged (use skewers to support).

place on a warm windowsill (eg above a rad).

very quickly sprout rooted shoots which you can remove and plant.

 

[The Cumbrian]

easy to do:

get a 1.5-2l pop bottle and cut to off as if to make a wasp trap.

fill with water and suspend sweet potato (correct way up) part submerged (use skewers to support).

place on a warm windowsill (eg above a rad).

very quickly sprout rooted shoots which you can remove and plant.

Not wishing to appear too slow on the uptake how do you know right way up? I had assumed they grew horizontally pretty much like a potato.

 

[RoofTops]

Not wishing to appear too slow on the uptake how do you know right way up? I had assumed they grew horizontally pretty much like a potato.

It's covered in the link I gave - bottom "generally more pointy".

 

[BeeJayBee]

Supermarket sweet potatoes probably won't grow, even if you scrub them to clean off any fungicide. We tried last year and ended up with a potato that didn't develop any roots, looked okay on the outside, but the flesh had turned to pulp.

We bought some plants from a garden centre, they weren't any good because they'd got pot bound. Despite trying to tease out the roots we ended up with a 3" bundle of very bent and twisted sweet potatoes.

Our this year's potato has been more successful, we started very early to see if it would shoot. We bought from our local street market, put the potato in a jam jar full of water - there wasn't an obvious pointed end. It's been sitting on the kitchen windowsill since before Christmas. It's now got roots and shoots, so maybe we'll get a plant or two this year.

This is the page we used for reference http://www.polymerfab.co.uk/blog/archives/2009/01/entry_288.html

This shows what can happen if you use a wrongly sourced potato (It's a girl's science experiment) http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2011/06/organic_sweet_potato_science_p.php

 

[Suzi Q]

I'd forgotten I had a sweet potato in a veg rack, it sprouted, I broke off the tiny shoots and put the ends in water. They rooted, I planted the 'slips', they grew fine, but despite all that it came to nothing. Don't think this climate is suited to sweet potatoes. Also bought some plants, but same as Beejoyful, they were pot bound, hence a clump of twisted roots.

 

[BeeJayBee]

... I planted the 'slips', they grew fine, but despite all that it came to nothing. Don't think this climate is suited to sweet potatoes.

They need to have some protection, such as cloches, even in the south of the country.

 

[justme]

wow! I'm a bit slow cos I've only just found this thread. I remember reading somewhere that they only grew from slips and you HAD to buy them. I'm going to try as suggested earlier in this thread and hope I'm not too late;.)

 

[BeeJayBee]

You could try putting on in a jar in your airing cupboard, if you've got one. It might speed things up a bit.

Good luck.

 

[pargyle]

Sorry guys ..bumping this very old thread ...

I'm trying to grow sweet potatoes in bags on a very warm bit of patio this year. I bought (from ebay) two colder climate tubers in order to make my own slips.

I've had the tubers in a jar of water for the last couple of weeks .. I've had them on top of the central heating boiler .. so far so good. Both tubers have thrown up shoots and yesterday I broke off some of the longer ones and put them in another jar of water and they have already sprouted roots that, in the last 24 hours, have grown over a centimetre ! They are, apparently, a bit of a thug if they are in the ground and get out of hand.

Once the roots have established I'll get them into pots and then, subequently, into the potato bags ...

There are lots of tales of people having tried and failed in the UK so I'm only trying them as an experiment as my family like sweet potatoes ... So, watch this space ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Philip, I’ll join the experiment.
Stan put ours in pots in the poly tunnel
We fleeced most things last night but as yet no frost so that’s one night duwnnout if the expected four
Frost in May! Could be worse. We could be in Scotland where they have snow forecast.

 

[enrico]

We have no problem with bought slips but we are in the south. Last night was brilliant. Windy and cold so my electric company gave me money for heating my greenhouse. 2p a unit at one point. God I love octopus agile.
E

 

[pargyle]

We have no problem with bought slips but we are in the south. Last night was brilliant. Windy and cold so my electric company gave me money for heating my greenhouse. 2p a unit at one point. God I love octopus agile.
E

If you have a long lead you can have some of my electricity bill as I seem to be paying for most of Fareham at present !

 

[pargyle]

Philip, I’ll join the experiment.
Stan put ours in pots in the poly tunnel
We fleeced most things last night but as yet no frost so that’s one night duwnnout if the expected four
Frost in May! Could be worse. We could be in Scotland where they have snow forecast.

Did you grow your own slips or buy them in ? Fascinating how fast mine are sprouting slips now the tubers are well rooted ... putting on over an inch of
growth a day ... you can almost see them growing... wish I had one of those cameras where the do timed photos over a growth period - these things are like triffids!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Stan bought them.
I gather they can be a bit rampant
Nothing can be as rampant as tomatillos
We put three plants in the tunnel two years ago. We’re still eating the pickle

 

[pargyle]

Stan bought them.
I gather they can be a bit rampant
Nothing can be as rampant as tomatillos
We put three plants in the tunnel two years ago. We’re still eating the pickle

I've been tempted by Tomatillos in the past but (with my disastrous Tomato growing exploits) we've been eating green tomato chutney to the point where I'm dumping it and re-using the jars ! So I rather figured Tomatillos would end up with the same, but slightly more acidic, result ! Sounds like my assumptions were bang on ..

Be interesting to see how the sweet potatoes do ... you should do well with the polytunnel .. mine will just have to take their chances on the patio ... I've been considering making some self watering tubs as they seem very much on trend at present ...

 

[citrus]

Sorry guys ..bumping this very old thread ...

I'm trying to grow sweet potatoes in bags on a very warm bit of patio this year. I bought (from ebay) two colder climate tubers in order to make my own slips.

I've had the tubers in a jar of water for the last couple of weeks .. I've had them on top of the central heating boiler .. so far so good. Both tubers have thrown up shoots and yesterday I broke off some of the longer ones and put them in another jar of water and they have already sprouted roots that, in the last 24 hours, have grown over a centimetre ! They are, apparently, a bit of a thug if they are in the ground and get out of hand.

Once the roots have established I'll get them into pots and then, subequently, into the potato bags ...

There are lots of tales of people having tried and failed in the UK so I'm only trying them as an experiment as my family like sweet potatoes ... So, watch this space ...

interesting .... I take it you cant stick an lidl sweet potato in the jar and keep it warm and let it do its thing ?......
/yours bookmarking this !