[Eblana]

I am just looking through this thread and was thinking that I would love to try these next year.  When is the best time to start the tubers into growth in the water to get the little buds for planting on?

[Trillium]

The sweet potato plants 'slips' can take a long time to appear so I suggest you find a nice sweet potato and get it started around December/January, no later. Some people are lucky and the slips begin to sprout immediately, others find it takes a few months for something to show up.  Once they do show up and they're at least 3" tall, you carefully twist them off the tuber and pot them up so they start their own roots which become your tuber harvest. I'd even recommend you get 2 or 3 potatoes started in case 2 are real slowpokes. The cost is minimal and the results will be more positive.

If the potted slips show up early, then all the better because a rotted plant needs at least 4 months of WARM weather. In the UK, you could add an extra month or two for growing time.

You can also figure out how to shelter your growing plant in summer with some sort of closed coldframe to retain heat, a mini greenhouse/cloche, etc. They also don't like drowning so you have time to figure where your best growing spot for them is.

[Trillium]

I used to grow the most awesome Sweet Potatoes when I lived in Kenya! The bed middle left:

  Bet you wish for some of that warm weather in the UK. Gorgeous sweet potatoes.

[symonep]

This was our first year of trying and really didnt have much luck. the slips we ordered didnt arrive until mid june.
They plants grew well but the potatoes only grew to the thickness of a finger if that.

May give them another go next year

[Eblana]

The sweet potato plants 'slips' can take a long time to appear so I suggest you find a nice sweet potato and get it started around December/January, no later. Some people are lucky and the slips begin to sprout immediately, others find it takes a few months for something to show up.  Once they do show up and they're at least 3" tall, you carefully twist them off the tuber and pot them up so they start their own roots which become your tuber harvest. I'd even recommend you get 2 or 3 potatoes started in case 2 are real slowpokes. The cost is minimal and the results will be more positive.

If the potted slips show up early, then all the better because a rotted plant needs at least 4 months of WARM weather. In the UK, you could add an extra month or two for growing time.

You can also figure out how to shelter your growing plant in summer with some sort of closed coldframe to retain heat, a mini greenhouse/cloche, etc. They also don't like drowning so you have time to figure where your best growing spot for them is.

Thanks Trillium - I have used this method of propagation for Dahlias in the past.  I will start them going in the next month or so and I will keep them in the Polytunnel next year.

[bigfatwallet]

Interesting read and learnt a few things so thanks.

Not a big fan myself but the wife loves them. Might have to give them a go if I have enough room on the lotty.

[sunshineband]

Love the photo from Kenya, Trillium 

Thank you

[Trillium]

The photo is actually from rowan57, Sunny 

[sunshineband]

The photo is actually from rowan57, Sunny 

Daft me, or what 

Sorry, rowan57 

I did think it odd as you'd never before mentioned a sojourn in Kenya, Trillium 

No excuses, except not properly awake at the time I guess  :blink:

[Annen]

The best I can do is maybe lift them off the cold floor and insulate them a bit.  But it is only going to get colder now.  Not looking encouraging.  Oh well, it'll just complete a bum year in the garden.

The top growth has well and truly died back now, so I chanced another look and one of the remaining bags, but no, as I thought, there are no roots bigger than my little finger and most smaller.  It just hasn't been warm enough, poor things.
In a warmer year they might have made it but not this year.
Don't think I'll bother next year.

[Trillium]

For those interested in trying sweet potatoes here are a couple of videos on it:

 LINK


2nd LINK

UK weather might be a bit cool and wet for sweet potatoes so cold frames or greenhouses are highly recommended.

[rowan57]

The photo is actually from rowan57, Sunny 

Daft me, or what 

Sorry, rowan57 

I did think it odd as you'd never before mentioned a sojourn in Kenya, Trillium 

No excuses, except not properly awake at the time I guess  :blink:

No problem  I have sojourned in Kenya a number of times, in fact I was just there for a week with work, what a beautiful country.

[bazial]

Dug up the last Sweet Potato up today from the allotment ,as you can see they look very good, and they tasted very good to .the biggest was 7ins x 4ins

[Annen]

Dug up the last Sweet Potato up today from the allotment ,as you can see they look very good, and they tasted very good to .the biggest was 7ins x 4ins

I'm quite envious!

[Trillium]

Very nice haul. How did you keep them warm during growing time?