Sweet potatoes

TerryB Illinois · Jan 27, 2015

I would like to try and grow some sweet potatoes this year and have never done it before. Can anyone give me some pointers?

Mike (WA) · Jan 27, 2015

Move to Alabama.

Charlie M · Jan 27, 2015

I do a few in the garden once in a while. You can buy plants from a nursery or you can start some. I've bought store potatoes, sprouted them, put the sprouts in water to get roots and planted them. Worked well. Only problem with store bought ones they can be hard to get to sprout. I think they may be treated. However you get plants, I've made a hill and planted them in the hill, maybe a foot apart. Take care of them and in the fall there are sweet potatoes to dig. There are different varieties for length of the growing season and I've found some store better than others. Bet keeping ones I've had was from plants sprouted from store bought ones.

Michael Price · Jan 27, 2015

I live in michigan and my dad grows sweet potatoes.

They are easy to grow, if you have hard soil plant them on hills so they have room to expand. Don't give them much nitrogen, but they like potash. Frost is bad, it will cause them to rot. so if frost is in the forecast before you harvest cut the tops off. When you go to dig them cut the tops off about a week before you dig them. This will cause the skin to thicken and protect them. We keep them well into the summer from the fall before.

Aaron SEIA · Jan 27, 2015

Been growing some the past several years. I go to the garden center around the end of May here in SE Iowa and buy started slips. Stick them in the ground and keep the weeds out. Late fall I dig them up. Not much more to it than that. They need some room as they send out some larger vines, but nothing like a cuc or squash.
AaronSEIA

Richard G. · Jan 27, 2015

The old saying here is "find the worst soil you have and plant sweet taters in it".
It seems to work out.
Richard in NW SC

john in la · Jan 27, 2015

Alabama???????
I do not think they even make the top 5.

The number 1 crop in Louisiana by acres planted is sweet potatoes. Louisiana even has the only research station dedicated to sweet potato research. 300 acres.

North Carolina #1 grows more sweet potatoes than California #2 Mississippi #3 and Louisiana #4 combined.

If you really want to grow sweet potatoes move to China. The United States grows less than 1% of sweet potatoes world wide while China grows over 80%.

LME · Jan 27, 2015

If you have deer they will eat the vines, need to protect them.

TerryB Illinois · Jan 27, 2015

Well I should have it made then. I got some ground that won't even grow good weeds.

gene bender · Jan 28, 2015

Thy do well if you have amound of fresh dirt 16in or so high however a size bed you want plant starts 15in or so apart you can get the slips at a garden center the vines will cover the ound and keep soil cool pull weeds and enjoy. Like any root crop loose soil alows fruit to expand and grow. Many varietys so find out which type you like. Next yr you can have your own plants by puttin a couple toothpicks in the side then sticking in a glass of water the toothpics keep the top half dry.

Sweet potatoes

TerryB Illinois

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Mike (WA)

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Charlie M

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Michael Price

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Aaron SEIA

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Richard G.

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john in la

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LME

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TerryB Illinois

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gene bender

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