Homegrown sweet potatoes can either be rooted from a vine clipping or from a piece of potato.
Sweet potatoes, whether red, yellow or white, are all planted and harvested in the same manner. Sweet potatoes originated in Central and South America and are warm-weather crops requiring lots of heat and sunshine. Unlike the potato, sweet potatoes are vine crops that spread quickly. The sweet potato vines can be cooked, eaten and propagated to grow more sweet potatoes. The sweet potato is particularly high in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium and can be cooked in a variety of ways.
Instructions
1. Time your planting season. Sweet potatoes need about six months of heat to grow properly. Start the crops at the end of April or beginning of May depending on your location. Sweet potatoes cannot tolerate frost, so plant the seed potatoes no sooner than two weeks before the final frost of the season.
2. Prepare the soil. Sweet potatoes grow best in well-drained sandy soil with low-nitrogen fertilizer. Choose a location that receives the most sunlight during the day. Till mature compost fertilizer into the soil and hoe into mound rows to increase drainage. The rows should be spaced at least 3 feet apart from each other to allow the vines to creep.
3. Select seed potatoes or clippings for propagation. Sweet potatoes can be grown from small potatoes or from vine cuttings. You can purchase a white sweet potato from any grocery market and use it to grow "slips," which are small roots that can be planted. To grow slips, cut a sweet potato in half and plant it under damp soil or place it in a glass of water. After about six weeks the seed potato will grow shoots known as slips. Cut off the slips when they reach about 6 inches. To use a vine cutting, clip off a length of vine approximately 12 inches in length and remove all of the leaves except those at the very top.
4. Plant the slips or cuttings. Place the slips or cuttings on top of the tilled mound rows and cover completely with soil except for the head. The leaves at the top of each cutting or slip should be the only part exposed to the air. Water thoroughly.
5. Mulch around each plant and in between the rows to keep weeds from growing. For the first six weeks, water regularly. Once the plants are established, only occasional watering is necessary. Fertilize only every six to 12 weeks with phosphorus- and potassium-based fertilizer, wood and ash compost or seaweed extract.
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