Sweet potatoes

[Marymary]

When I started mine off in February everyone was saying it was too early, so should still be worth a go now I would think.  :)

[Marymary]

[Svea]

i have just twisted off some slips and put into water. i.e. not yet potted on, but will do this w/e
they should have plenty of growing time left - i will probably not put them out before end of may - well, depends on the climate forecast :/

i got my slips from leonie last year, and they did very well. i also had a great yield and a few whopper potatoes.

only thing is, the slugs loved them too. i have to increase my slug control in the latter stages of growing, i.e. the last month or so - hopefully i will end up with slightly less holey SPs this way

[mc55]

my first 8 have been potted up, another 7 slips in water and lots more baby slips on the potatoes, so looking good so far.

I suffered from pest damage last year too - guess they are just too tasty to resist. 

Thinking about growing a lot more next year - maybe a whole bed full, especially now I know how easy it is to get slips ... we prefer them to normal potatoes and yet we grow more potatoes than sweet potatoes.

[Svea]

you have to have allotment neighbours who dont prove so  helpful that they decide to weed all your bindweed for you!
the stuff trawls and looks just like the evil stuff (but of course, makes some tasty veg and dies down completely in the winter)

[Robert_Brenchley]

How well does it grow outside?

[Svea]

with a summer like last year, very well indeed. i just planted them on a sunny spot in the garden, but to be honest, they would have grown just as well anywhere on my plot.

they grow like bindweed! but they need a longish season before the frost to make the tubers at the very end. so the later you can lift them, the greater the yield (but before the frost, obviously!)

[manicscousers]

we don't seem to be able to get any slips this year  :(..must be doing something wrong..still, there's always next year  :)

[miniroots]

One question -
There doesn't seem to be the same worry over virus infection from Supermarket bought sweet potatoes...

Are they safe?

[cornykev]

I have four sitting in pint glasses, two doing nothing, one with long spindley roots and the other with the spindlys and purple looking things with green leaves, are these the slips what do I do with them and when.  ;D ;D ;D ???

[mc55]

but they need a longish season before the frost to make the tubers at the very end. so the later you can lift them, the greater the yield (but before the frost, obviously!)

yes, I lost my nerve a bit early I think - they would definitely have benefitted from longer in the ground, but then again I guess the critter damage would have been even worse ?

purple looking things with green leaves, are these the slips what do I do with them and when.

yup, these are the slips ... carefully twist them off, where they join the potato, then put them into a glass of water to encourage roots.  I dont' think this is essential as the ones from T&M had no roots and advice was to plant immediately into compost.

[cornykev]

Cheers MC55 how long do I leave them in the glass before I pot up.  ;D ;D ;D

[mc55]

I pot mine up as soon as tiny white roots appear at the bottom of the stem.

[Svea]

i leave the slips until they are , oh, 3 inches long? then put them in water for about a week, by which time they have little white roots, then pot them up, keep watred just like your other seedlings, and plant out aftr all danger of frost has passed (which could be sooner rather than later this year)

have a look at the photos on the first page of this thread - leonie explained it all very well!

[Jitterbug]

My slips are coming on - I hve about 5 in water now and more on the potatoe but the tuber I put in soil in the greenhouse is going great guns.  Will be going out shortly to remove all the shoots and place them in water. 

If I have any spare I am more than prepared to share them out as I have no space on my lottie (as I only have 5 rpds) so will be planting my sweet potatoes in pots this year unless I have a spare space that I have not contemplated...

Jitterbug

[manicscousers]

jitterbug, i would be prepared to pay you for some slips..I was going to send off an order, I could do with  6  :)
just let me know if you've any over and how much.thanks, marilyn

[cornykev]

Thanx.  ;D ;D ;D

[Barnowl]

Some people say twist the shoots/slips off and others say cut - which is best?

[Tora]

I twisted one of shoots off and it didn't come off very clearly. I don't know if I did it right. The shoot looks a bit hollow at the base.

Also the shoots are growing in several clumps on the tuber. Am I supposed to pull the wholte clump off or just a biggest shoot from the clump? ???

[Svea]

it doesnt matter. i took the clump off and then seperated whatever i had into two/three plantelts.

they are really keen to root - i took cuttings from the mature vine last autumn as a test and they rooted within two days. don't be afraid - they are less fragile than you think (remember they are related to bindweed - no joke!)

[cornykev]

I twisted one off and its in the jar, a couple more are getting there.  ;D ;D ;D