Sweet Potatoes

[runnerbean]

I would like to grow sweet potatoes, in containers, where do I buy the potatoes from, how deep do I plant them, tips on watering feeding, harvesting and times of year to plant. Thanks

[Lesley Jay]

Thompson and Morgan sell sweet potato slips. They are £10.49 for 10 slips and delivery is April / June.

http://potatoes.thompson-morgan.com/product/aww3295/1

[potager]

I tried to grow sweet potatoes last year. Here in Denmark the climate is a bit colder than UK. I had them in the greenhouse. Can you grow them outside in UK?

[Autumn]

I got all excited about growing sweet potato but I got the impression that they don't do too well in the UK, let alone Denmark.

Here's a link to Jungle Seeds, they sell the sweet potato set but they have no concrete evidence of success to speak of.

http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/SeedOrders/enter.html

If anybody's successful, I would love to hear from you in the future, maybe even next year hopefully. Of all the potatoes I could grow, it would be sweet potato.

[00Mark]

Hi,

Just ordered some sweet potato slips from Thompson & Morgan. I'd appreciate any tips from people who have grown them before in a temperate climate (I'm in Cornwall).

Best wishes,

Mark (New boy!)

[Durgan]

I'm in the process of producing sweet potato slips. They are sprouting but very slowly. I have no place to purchase the slips commercially. This will be my first attempt at growing the sweet potatoe.

Last year (2007) a sweet potato vine was grown in a hanging pot for the pretty foliage, purchased from a greenhouse supplier. When throwing out the soil at the end of the growing season, two large sweet potatoes were present. They were baked and found to be perfect. We enjoyed them immensily. The tuber was white instead of orange coloured, but tasted exactly the same as the orange type.

If my sweet potato slips are not large enough by about June 15, I will purchase three or four plants and place them in the bed which is prepared, and see how they grow. My understanding is sweet potatoes likes hot weather to a large degree.

[freisianfluff]

I don't know if they have any left. I ordered mine in winter & haven't arrived yet so I guess they are still in stock.
I presume they grow in growbag in greenhouse like courgettes

[Chickenjane]

Originally Posted by freisianfluff

I don't know if they have any left. I ordered mine in winter & haven't arrived yet so I guess they are still in stock.
I presume they grow in growbag in greenhouse like courgettes

that's a good idea!

I tried them outside in raised beds last year.
i had 5 slips each of the 2 varieties said to do ok in GB = Beauregard & T65 or somesuch. I know it was an appalling year all round for veg, but the sweet pots were an utter waste of time. squitty little tubers with no taste. I potted a couple up & overwintered in the green house wihth the idea if taking slips from them & trying again this year. But frost & neglect put paid to that idea.

this year I'm growing Oca instead...anyone tried these?