[jonewer]

Doing better now, a few runners being put out.

[rowan57]

Ha, its been so hot here that even the sweet potatoes from the market are putting out slips.

[rawrecruit]

Yes, you'll be a bit ahead of the game, but better too soon than too late 

Here's an update photo of my supermarket sweet potato going great guns...

Wondering when/how to take off slips and what to do with them to keep them until next season... if only I had a greenhouse!

[Trillium]

I left mine on the potato and just took off the leader tips so they'd stay compact for now. As winter light dims, the growth will slow down considerably.

[Trillium]

The next questions people will have is when do they dig up their sweet potatoes, and how do they store them?

This video has some good suggestions for those questions, as well as her result from planting in a container.

LINK

[Lincs Lottie]

Tried to grow sweet potatoes at the allotment last year and it grew somes leaves but no potatoes.  Didn't bother this year.  Dad has now got a greenhouse which I am allocated a small section.  Could I grow them in there?  If so, in potato bags?  When should I try to make slips please?  The greenhouse will be heated over winter to keep it frost free but he's undecided about lighting yet.
Thanks.
LL xx

[rawrecruit]

Had my first sweet potato dinner yesterday.... (potato leaf not tubers)

Very satisfying to have grown my own!!

[Trillium]

Lincs  lottie, start your slips around November and they should be ready for spring planting. The bags should work okay in the greenhouse. Always keep in mind that sweet potatoes are tropical plants and need lots of heat, hot heat as in 80F and higher for 4 months or more, to do well.

[Ema]

I have 3 good sized plants at the mo, they seem very happy I only wish I'd given them a bit more space. I deep water them twice a week at the mo once with a bit of worm fertiliser.

I dont dare pick the leaves for fear of taking some energy out of the roots.

When it get a bit colder I'm going to cover them with a bit of clear plastic and leave them until just before a frost

[Trillium]

Sounds like a good plan, Ema 

[Peas let my pumpkins grow]

Well I was away from the plot and home for a good while and could hardly see the SP mini tunnels or the weeds when I got back. I accidentally pulled one out of the ground while weeding and it had a long sort of sausage shaped tuber so I patted it back into the ground to see if it will get any bigger, fingers crossed the rest are doing ok, I've managed to tear the plastic on cover as well so I'm really hoping they will stay warm enough to bulk up. Fingers crossed  :happy:

I also left my potatoes in the jars going, they filled the entire window frame with slips and then someone..... We shall mention no names  forgot about them and didnt water them! they pretty much cooked after their big growth spurt and so I had a rather smelly mass of crispified leaves to get rid of on my first night home!

[Trillium]

Aww, what a waste on the growing tuber. I found one outside on my porch that I somehow dropped and missed. It was a bit shrivelled but I put it in a cup of water and now it's recovered well. Tough little plants.

The sausage/fingers are the actual tubers forming. With time they'll fatten up for you. Fingers crossed.

[sunshineband]

The voles have been a-tunnelling all around inside the min tunnel where my SPs are. I keep patting down the disturbed soil and hoping they have not been munching on those little tubers under the ground 

I have given the tomato feed (the SPs, not the voles  ) so hope that helps a bit.

Is there anything else they need?

[rawrecruit]

Its getting colder at night now, do the sweet potatoes need to be pulled before it gets too cold? They are under cloche but I just want to be prepared!

[Trillium]

Leave them covered for as long as you can. When the tops finally die off then you can pull up the tubers. You might find, if you pull them now, that the tubers are still the size of fingers and need a bit longer to fatten up. They really do take about 4 months to fill out.