Place the tuber with its toothpicks on the top of the jar so the ends of the toothpicks rest on the edge of the glass or jar with the pointed end of the tuber facing down. They can adapt to the soil temperature ranging from 60 to 85 F (15-30 C). In the North, cover the raised rows with black plastic to keep th… Plant slips directly in the soil, planter, hanging basket, bucket, or a pot. That’s how to grow sweet potatoes in a pot. If the soil feels dry, add water. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. In this video, I show you how to grow sweet potato in containers or pots. Both types grow best in sunny conditions, but if you want to grow the garden varieties that produce edible tubers, it will take quite a long growing season. Growing from Slips. If you want to grow sweet potatoes in a container, plant the rooted slip into a pot or grow bag big enough to grow nice tubers. Once these plants have begun to grow robustly indoors, they will be ready to transfer to large mixed containers with other plants. Planting Your Sweet Potato Crop. Sweet potatoes are usually ready to harvest four to five months after planting. There may already be a rudimentary root structure attached to the slip. If they have, you might be able to ask them where you can get untreated sweet potatoes. Growing Sweet Potatoes in Containers to Save on Space. And unlike regular potatoes, their meandering, snaking vine grows like a giant’s intestines. Tip: If your tap water is heavy with chlorine and other additives, it may prevent the tuber from sprouting. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. The tubers need loose soil to grow large. Depending on the size of the container, you may have to pot again or prune the roots if the plant becomes root-bound within the pot. Leave all of the stems exposed. After watering, you may find that the soil has settled; if so, add more soil to the pot. This type of soil will increase the growth of the leaves, but stunt the growth of the potato. X Or, if you will plant the edible sweet potatoes in the ground, then the slips can be started in seedling pots, also. If you are growing edible tubers as vegetables, you'll need a large container or bucket to allow them adequate room to grow. Locate the middle of each tuber piece and insert three or more toothpicks into it; they should go about 1/2 to 1 inch into the tuber. Sweet potatoes are heat loving plants. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. % of people told us that this article helped them. If the tubers are not sprouting, replace the tap water with distilled water. Many gardeners reference ‘Portio Rico’ (also referred to as ‘Bush’ or ‘Vineless’) as an ideal variety for smaller gardens or containers. Sunlight and water are difficult to spread evenly between all 6 of the slips. Indoors: Grow sweet potatoes in a glasshouse in large tubs, growing-bags or the glasshouse border, transplanting from the pots once they have produced plenty of roots. In any case, they should be harvested before the first frost in the fall for best edibility. If you’re growing sweet potatoes in pots, just make sure the soil never becomes bone dry. The foliage can be trained up string, canes or trellis. Water thoroughly. They must be planted in a well-drained, fine sandy loam soil with a slightly acidic pH 5 to 7.5. To create sprouts, carefully wash your potatoes and cut them either in half or in large sections. The sweet potato propagation process takes a couple of weeks but your yam plant will make a spectacular centrepiece in your home. Sweet Potato in Bags. It may take a few weeks or even a month before you see green growth sprouting from the top of the tuber. I found another 15 or so more sweet potatoes underneath the tote! This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 20,613 times. Sweet potatoes bred as edible vegetables have much larger, sweeter tuberous roots, and their foliage is less attractive. Many gardeners reference ‘Portio Rico’ (also referred to as ‘Bush’ or ‘Vineless’) as an ideal variety for smaller gardens or containers. A hanging basket is a good choice for this plant’s vining habit. As long as you have good drainage and follow the growing tips below, you can grow sweet potatoes pretty much anywhere. Make sure that there are no air pockets near the roots. Unglazed pots and grow bags transpire easily and in hot, windy areas, may lose water quickly. I’ve had a lot of success with growing sweet potatoes in a … Step One: Select a variety of sweet potato that is ideal for growing in containers. Be careful not to cut or knick the stem of the slip while you’re trimming the leaves, as this can cause the potato to sprout from an undesirable spot on the slip. The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. While both varieties are technically edible, those sold as ornamental sweet potato vine are sometimes described as "barely edible" since the roots are smaller and much less sweet (bordering on bitter); these have been bred primarily for their attractive trailing foliage. Use a well-draining pot large enough to accommodate it comfortably. The same techniques that apply to growing potatoes in the ground apply to growing them in containers. Growing Sweet Potatoes In A Container. Take each sprout and very carefully separate it from the tuber by gently twisting it. Kerry Michaels is a writer and photographer with several years specializing in gardening and landscape design. Use toothpicks to hold the potato in place (Image 1). This process causes a thin protective layer to form on the outer skin of the potato known as suberin. It also helps to harden off the new plants by acclimating them gradually to the outdoors before putting them into their permanent locations. If you’re planting your crop in a warm climate, then start your slips … Sweet potatoes like warm weather, so make sure all danger of frost has passed before you put your new plants outside. We've decided to try our hands at growing sweet potatoes — we've really got nothing to lose other than half a potato if we fail. L IKE regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are starchy tubers that form underground. Both types of sweet potato are widely available for sale as small container plants in the spring, but they are also easy to grow yourself by sprouting "slips" from pieces of the tubers, which is the method described here. Water them and put the pot out in a sunny spot. If you don't have a drill, you can use a sharp knife to cut holes into the bottom of the bucket, but be very careful not to cut yourself. Check with local agricultural groups for their planting calendars to get a good idea when to plant the potato slips. But make sure discard any slip that is wilting or that hasn't produced any roots; these won't be viable. Once your sweet potatoes have sprouted, you have to separate them … Fill the container with high-quality potting soil until the surface of the soil reaches about 1 inch below the rim. References. Check that the slips are leafy and over 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall. It's better if they haven't been refrigerated: Large sweet potato tubers may need to be cut into large pieces in order to place them in water for sprouting. Likely varieties for sweet potato container crops are … If you don't want to use your hand, you can also use a small garden spade to dig the holes. The next step is to place the tuber in water to sprout. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Grow-Sweet-Potatoes-in-Containers-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Sweet-Potatoes-in-Containers-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Grow-Sweet-Potatoes-in-Containers-Step-1.jpg\/aid10355061-v4-728px-Grow-Sweet-Potatoes-in-Containers-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"