Kitchen Garden Forum

Has anybody any experience of growing sweet potato slips.

Since they do provide a tasty alternative to standard potatoes I am thinking of giving them a try but do not have the luxury of a polytunnel or space in the greenhouse.

Have you gown them ?
Success or failure?
Undercover or open ground?

Be interested to hear your views

Didn't grow any last year (shame really as would have been good), but have had mixed success previous years. The years that have not been so successful is related to size of potatoes, but have had a good amount every time.

I don't buy slips as found them least successful, but put a bought sweet potato or two into the airing cupboard & in time they sprout like normal potatoes. This is not recommended really as the mother plant was probably grown in a different climate but works for me. You take off these sprouts & plant them on a couple of times.

I grow them outside on the allotment. Have grown them through membrane but this year I am recycling my cold frame which has a couple of broken panes of glass, placing it on a bed that has been dug over. I will put some extra compost on top inside the cold frame & plant my slips in this so have some protection. Nothing lost if poor crop as quite attractive plant / vine.

Westi

Thanks for the input Westi.

I understand that you can get quite a high yield off each plant so this year I will give a small number a try I think

It is easy to get the tubers to sprout if you get a jam jar with not too narrow neck and sit the sweet potato in the top with its base just in the water, like you can do with hyacinth bulbs.

Keep it in a warm light place and it will make roots and send out plenty of shoots (slips) These can then be detached and planted as normal.

I just used shop bought ones and got a good crop of slim sweet potatoes, not as chunky as the ones you can buy though.

Good tip Plumudding, thanks

Got plenty of jars so worth a go.

I have read somewhere that it is worth looking at country of origin when buying supermarket sweet potatoes, it said most are from warm countries that might not take well to growing in UK.

Worth a hit though as Nothing ventured nothing gained.