Have you ever wanted to grow your own organic sweet potatoes? Well, you are first going to have to grow sweet potato slips. No, I don't mean a slimy sweet potato that is slippery. I am talking about sweet potato propagating. It is simple and fun for gardeners of all levels of experience. Let me show you how to grow organic sweet potato slips.
What are sweet potato slips
Like I said not slimy sweet potatoes. Sweet potato slips are the shoots of growth that come from a sweet potato when it is introduced to water. These little shoots of growth is what will eventually yield whole sweet potatoes.
How do I get the slips
You can find sweet potato slips online but they are more expensive to buy than grow on your own. Growing slips is a very simple process and I am going to show you exactly how to do it. One sweet potato could give you between 10 and 20 slips.
Getting your sweet potato
First, you need to find an organic sweet potato. It is absolutely necessary that you use organic sweet potatoes.
Conventional grown sweet potatoes are sprayed with an anti-sprouting chemical and will not grow very well, if at all. You will want to find your favorite organic sweet potato.
Make sure you like the variety of sweet potato because this is the type you will grow. For a list of sweet potato varieties and their characteristics go here. You can find organic sweet potatoes either at the grocery store or online at a seed store.
Planting for slips
There are two methods for growing sweet potato slips - the all water method and the soil method. I usually have more success with the soil method, but you can do either.
- Get your sweet potato and place it in a pot filled with damp potting soil. Plant the potato on its side with half the potato above the soil. (Water method: stick three toothpicks into the side of the potato and suspend over water so that half the potato is half way in the water and standing vertically.)
- It can take up to 4 weeks before your potatoes sprout (patience is key). In the mean time keep them around 60-80oF and under bright (but not direct) light (I grow mine under a grow light with a heat mat and then transfer them to my greenhouse later in spring). Keep the soil moist. (Water method: change water every week so that your potato does not rot.)
- Once your sprouts start to appear continue to keep the soil moist (or water clean). When the slips are about 4-6 inches tall they are ready to cut and transplant.
- Snap the slips off and remove some of the lower leaves (this is where new roots will grow from). You can plant these slips right away into seed starting trays or root them in water. I will plant mine in seed trays with a sterile and organic seed starting mix.
- Keep the soil mix wet and occasionally pull on the slips to ensure the plants are growing roots. When the plants are firm in the soil and have a good root mass they are ready to plant outdoors. This can take anywhere from 1-2 weeks depending on the plant type and conditions.
- Congratulations! You just grew your very own organic sweet potato slips.
Where should I plant them
Sweet potatoes are a tropical plant and enjoy full sunlight, heat, and humid conditions. It can be hard to get the correct environment to plant them in especially if you live in zone 5 (like me). They also like loose and rich soil, so make sure to amend the soil with compost.
A few ways to get the soil and air warm enough for planting is by covering the ground in black plastic, growing under a greenhouse, or planting them in a semi-composted pile of organic material.
After you plant the sweet potatoes make sure that you mulch around them. This will also help to build the soil life.
Fun fact!
Sweet potatoes are in the family Ipomoea. Guess what other plants are in this family: Morning Glories (don't eat them though they may be pretty but they are poisinous).
How long till I get sweet potatoes
It can take anywhere from 100-105 days for sweet potatoes to grow to maturity. This means they will not be ready till sometime in fall. Make sure to harvest before your first frost though because these plants are very sensitive to frost.
I have actually never grown sweet potatoes. I know, I know; you may be asking why do you even try up there in zone 5 anyway. Well, you may not know, but sweet potatoes have multiple edible parts.
Sweet potato leaves are a very nutritious green that tastes great sautéed or eaten fresh in salads. So even if you do not get sweet potatoes you can still harvest the leaves, or grow them as an ornamental. Here are some sweet potato leaf recipes.
Trouble shooting
Organic sweet potatoes do not have many pest or disease issues and I have never had any issues with them. Because of this they are actually known as a survival plant and food.
Their vines can take over a garden, so be careful to give them plenty of space. It's time to grow some sweet potatoes!
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