see Gonefishin's post: Ooooh Wheee! Lookie Here! Sweet Potatoes!
Sorry I can't link to it. You'll find it if you do a search on sweet potatoes.
I'm a computer dingbat.
h.

Actually I read through that thread earlier today before I bought the potatoes.

It doesn't talk about prepping the spuds for planting. So I could use some help.

Well, actually patty, sweet potatoes do not have eyes just like irish potatoes. They do put out sprouts which grow leaves on them like {{gwi:15450}} , and are called slips. You just pull the sprouts off and stick them into the ground after the ground has warmed up and danger of frost is past. Depending upon how many you want to plant, you can just stick a sweet potato or a piece of one in a glass of water like in the picture above, or you can bury some shallow in a sandy location and keep the sand moist till the sprouts come up. Some people just break them off, some people cut them off, some cut out a little plug of potato with the shoot. Some people then put them into water and let them start roots before putting them into the ground. It all works so you can take your choice and find out what works best for you.

They grow best in sandy soil, or well drained, loose soil and can tolerate it being a little drier than many of your garden plants. They will wilt during the day but refresh over night, but you can tell when the soil is getting too dry and they are beginning to need water. Fertility is always good, but they can also tolerate average soil and still produce pretty well.

I have never hilled my sweet potatoes up like I do irish potatoes in order to stretch the part that produces potatoes. They are different. Some mulch would not hurt if it were not over done and would help to keep the ground more moist and softer so that the potatoes can expand as they grow.

Those are generalities, more specific questions will bring more specific answers from somone to help you.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Bill P.

I'm sorry I couldn't help you further, patty4150.
I just stuck a sweet potato into a clear glass jar just like Gonefishin' did just to see the root development.
Haven't got a hope in .... of ever harvesting any here in my climate.
h.

I've discovered that the sand or soil method works best for me. Cut the potato in half and put the cut side down in a good potting mix. Keep it moist, but not soggy and around 65-70 degrees F. When the sprouts that appear reach about 6" long, break them off and put them in a jar of water. More potatoes prepared this way means more plants.

Unlike gonefishin, I am a proponent of the hill method of planting (makes it easier to dig later) Make a ridge about 8" high and 18" wide, then set the plants about 12-18" apart. Allow about 3-4ft. between rows for spreading types, about 2-3ft. for bush types. Usually don't need to weed much - the vines tend to choke out the weeds.

You can rob some potatoes toward the end of the growing season, but try to harvest before frost - if you don't, the roots will rot badly. You should try to let the dug potatoes dry on the ground for a few hours, then put them in a warm place (preferably about 85-90F) for two weeks, then put in a cool place at about 55F for winter storage. If you don't have a frost until November or December, you can harvest after about 100 days in the garden.

Also, holly-2006, there is hope! You just need to find varieties that are short season - my favorite is Georgia Jet - huge orange potatoes that really produce. Darby is another good one, but they have red skins and I like the orange ones better. I used to live in Ohio (Zone 5) and had sweet potatoes every year, regardless of heavy clay and wet springs (the hill method helps with this, too).

You can try ordering from www.richfarmgarden.com. They have beautiful plants, but don't ship until later in the season (about May 1st).

Underarock, just to clearify a little, my response to hilling was addressing raking additional dirt up around the plants and covering them back up several times as they come up to extend the portion of the plant that produces tubers. NOT planting in a hill, a mound or a bed. I make {{gwi:15451}} in my garden on 36 inch centers, so basically most everything is planted in (or on) a row after it has weathered and settled, then I kinda work it down or knock the top off a little when I prep it for planting. I usually hill the dirt up around most plants like tomatoes with a hoe or plow a little later on as I am cultivating and before I put mulch down.
Bill P.

Thank you!

It sounds like they'll be happy to sprout for me.

Do I plant outdoors after the last frost? How much before that, can I start them indoors? Are grocery-store bought potatoes treated with anything to prevent sprouting (the way some regular potatoes are)?

My inclination is to put one in a jar of water, and see what happens. How often do I change the water? From Bill's photo, it looks like I can cover the potato about halfway with water.

Thanks again,
Patty

Oh! Bill already said plant them after danger of frost. Sorry!

Yep, that is right, some studies indicate the waiting till the soil is warm works just as well as starting them as soon as possible, but you have to take into consideration how long your growing season is. Try to allow at least 90 to 120 days if possible for their growth.

I just put that one in there for my wife. The part of the potato under water puts out roots, the part above water puts out slips. I have seen people grow the vines that way as ornamentals, they are a member of the morning glory family. I just added to the water as needed, and not too long after that picture was made, it began to decline because it was using up the nutrients stored in the potato. If you were going to keep them going for a long time, some fertilizer or nutrition of some sort would be needed.

Probably three to six weeks before your last frost date would give you quite a few shoots, or slips to plent, or you could just start some in the ground, but you do not want to let them freeze.
Bill P.

For early May planting outside, I start some in jars...March 15th. I start some backups buried in sandy mix in early April in a warm place. Both methods work well. I like some yellow ones too like Nancy Hall.

I burry the whole tuber in a pot containing good potting soil and place it near the warm area in the house.Cover the pot by a plastic bag to keep soil from drying out.It takes a month or so for the tuber to sproute.Once the sprouts appear feed little amount of water around the sprouts.Do not add too much water to make the soil look like muddy.The moisture of potting soil is enough to begin with.
As the sprouts grow take the cuttings of 4 to 6 inches and wrap the wet paper towel arond cuttings and place them in a cup.Keep the towel wet enough. When the cuttings develop roots plant them in the pot.
Keep repeating the process as new sprouts develop to 6 inches or more.
Tubers harvested from the last season work fine for this.
This is good activity during winter time.
All the methods in the postings above work well too.

I started some last year - as Bill did in the jar, then planted outside. My "bright idea" was to use them as a ground cover in a spot that received quite a lot of summer sun and provide a ground cover there. They worked great in our sandy soil - and I gave them little encouragement.

Last week - I needed some "taters" for dinner, so decided to dig some. They were a bit smaller than they might be and I left some for later - but nice - about twice fingerling size - and very sweet.

My preference, however, would be the red types - which taste more like the pumpkin/squash family. The kind I grew were more like - well boiling type potatoes, but a bit sweet. The originals came from the local supermarket.

Just my 2 c's. So - If I can, so can you.

Bejay

How are the original posters sweet potatoes doing? You are growing in LA? I am in Santa Monica, and thinking about what I will be planting next year, I wonder how your sweet potatoes are doing.