[Mum2six]

I've had one root for the last week - still waiting on shoots!

[ThatsNice]

I've given up on mine. Will try again next year maybe or see if I can buy dome slips in perhaps..

[matuyama]

The purple sweet potato I started has really taken off, it has about 20 sprouts, some of which are already 10cm long. Not sure what I'll do with it until May, might have to eat some of the sprouts in a salad I guess

[JayG]

Unlike "normal" potatoes, the tubers, shoots and leaves of the sweet potato plant are all edible (didn't try it myself when I grew them and there are apparently several people on here who would dearly love the opportunity to find out!!)   

[matuyama]

That's correct, and I've heard that the foliage is actually considered a delicacy in some countries and valued even above the tubers. I'm definitely looking forward to trying them.

[dankay123]

i have my SP in a jar of water on the window sill in the kitchen. looking through the jar it looks like i have mould/mildew on the pointy part of the tuber. this looks like a silky spider web but only on the very bottom which is submersed in water. is this normal or should i bin it and start again. the tube was supermarket bought which i believe some are sprayed to stop sprouting. i havent grown these before so im stuck for some advice. cheers

[Peas let my pumpkins grow]

I had that, wispy white stuff, I washed the pot out and then ran the SP under the tap and its still going fine  

[dankay123]

Cheers for that. I thought the sp was a gonner

[Plot 6B]

Better late than never!
I started four off, this morning.

[Trillium]

Everyone gets the slimey bottoms due to the potato sitting so long in still water. I try to change my jar water weekly and rinse off the bottom.

[dankay123]

i have the start of a root forming. it looks like a little white spike sticking out. how long does it normally take from roots forming to slips showing?

[Kirpi]

17th Feb - is it too late to start a sweet potato off for slips? I will have some ground spare on my regular potato bed and had limited success with slips bought online last year but were so expensive.

Am I too late? I live in Cornwall, UK.

[JayG]

If they start to root then shoot like mine did last year and the year before (i.e. within a couple of weeks) you will have no problem - I've mentioned before that I have no idea why it succeeded much better than some others are finding, other than that I soaked it in a bucket of cold water for 24 hours in case it had been sprayed with an anti-sprouting chemical (I say "it" because last year was one of the previous year's "offspring".)

[Ema]

I've got 5 or so small shoots now I did wonder if a drop of baby fertiliser would help? I've got Ther tomato and citrus one too

[Trillium]

Doesn't hurt to try. I've just added a tiny bit of liquid bat guano to mine (its what I had). Next time I might try a bit of liquid transplant fertilizer.