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How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

ByAshlea

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Did you know that you can grow an entire harvest of sweet potatoes from a single sweet potato? My friend Jamie does it every year and this year I’m right there with her. For optimal results, you’ll want to start this project with a single sweet potato – store-bought is fine! – around mid-March. Look at the size of that potato!!

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How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

 

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

This process is so much easier than you might think. Have you ever grown new houseplants from clippings? That is exactly what you’re doing here, except with a sweet potato. Yep, sweet potato slips is all you need for an entire harvest of sweet potatoes.

Just six simple steps from beginning to harvest…

1. Take a sweet potato and drop it in a glass of water around mid-March. Soon it will start to grow slips.

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

2. Watch for slips to start to grow as well as roots. Each of the potatoes should produce about 20 slips. Once the slips are approximately 3-4 inches long, twist them from the potato and drop them in water. Baby food jars work perfectly, or something similar would suffice as well.

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

3. Wait for those slips to grow roots and once those roots are established (as in photo) they are ready to plant. In Kansas we typically wait until around June 1st (or whenever the weather is consistently warm) to plant them outside.

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How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

4. When planting, space them about 3 feet from each other as they are a vine that spreads. Treat them like any other plant in your garden and water as necessary.

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

5. The vines will produce flowers in September shortly before harvest. Once the leaves start to turn yellow (typically September to October) they are ready to harvest. Note that it is best to dig them up if there is a chance of frost in the forecast.

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

6. Once harvested, let them cure for 10 days outside in a shady place. I put mine in an open air garage. Yes, 1 potato has produced all of these!!

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

So, will you be harvesting your own sweet potatoes from a single sweet potato this year? Growing sweet potatoes is so much easier than it seems, and it costs less than a buck to try, so why not?

More home tips before you go:

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How to Remove the Bitterness from Cucumbers
17 Frozen Food Hacks to Get the Most Out of Your Freezer
Tips for Finding Deals on Organic, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Vegetarian and Vegan Foods
How to Make Balsamic Glaze
Why Every Household Needs a Low Inventory List
Is Your New Home in a Floodplain? + How to Check for Free

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64 Comments

  1. I once pulled a sweet potato out of my compost heap and planted it. We got lots of sweet potatoes from that one potato and it was planted way late.
    Reply
  2. Here in New Zealand we call the sweet potato Kumera. We have white, red & orange plants. We have along season from mid-October to March. I have never seen any flowers. The white variety bushes up & both the red & orange run all over the ground. I have been growing them for over fifty years. They sell well in shops.
    Reply
  3. I lanted slips this year last of may. had lots of beautiful vines and leaves kept having to put back in plant area. made lots and lots of little roots but only one tiny sweet potatoe. When I looked up problem it said they needed 0-10-10 fertilizer. will try again next year. oh and I ive eastern part of ok. 7b planting time for sweets end of may or first june. Also probably needed more water. Too far this year from water. Having outside faucet repaired and going to get watering equip with timer
    Reply
  4. My three containers are coming right along. I just notice a few little potatoes above the soil on the top of the pot. Do I add more soil? We are about three weeks before first frost. So. New Hampshire
    Reply
  5. This was exactly what I've been looking for! Thank you for such a great set of instructions. Excellent!
    Reply
  6. I have Sweet Potatoes on my counter and they do develope little purple vines with little keaves.I will try ur ideas gladly!
    Reply
  7. Does it matter which end goes into the water?—the original stem end where it grew from or the true end of the potato? Or do the slips start anywhere on the potato?
    Reply
  8. i am interested in knowing how you store all of the sweet potatoes after you harvest so that they do not go bad? Thanks
    Reply
    1. If landed in a large container you should be able to bring the in the house to finish them off. I live in Prince George, so I am going to try some this year.
      Reply
  12. Pingback: How to Grow An Entire Sweet Potato Harvest From A Single Sweet Potato - HouseKeeperMag.com
  15. Put the sweet potato in a glass of water and it's rotting on me. Not sure that it's gonna give me any slips before I have to toss it.
    Reply
    1. Yes, same with me. I have soaked my for 3 weeks now and still no sign of any slips!! Starting to rot a bit now!,
      Reply
      2. that was always my problem. I saw someone say put the sweet pot s in a container with soil laying down and cover about half way. sprinkle with water. put cover on container with just a crack for small air. i have produced many slips this way!
        Reply
    2. I just leave my sweet potatoes on the kitchen counter and the slips begun to grow. When the slips have roots, I just twist them off and put them in water. I notice the roots grow more. I will plant them now. I still eat the sweet potatoes that had rooted slips. Nothing bad happened to me. Same thing with regular potatoes.
      Reply
  16. Pingback: How to Grow An Entire Sweet Potato Harvest From A Single Sweet Potato – iSeeiDoiMake
  17. I live in the Pacific Northwest so it looks like I saw this just in time! I’ll get my sweet potato in water tomorrow :) Do I just tear off the slip? I’ve seen other articles that say you have to cut the sweet potato into pieces...?
    Reply
  18. My sister gave a sweet potatoe with many sids , I planted the whole sweet potato and vines came out no flowers ever I had a harvest of 1 squinty one , now I know I have to put each seed in water before I plant them
    Reply
    1. I planted a whole potato last year and I had a lot of potatoes. The vines were all over the place but I only had potatoes under the original vine. I had at least 20 and some of them were huge. This year I will separate the slips so I can have more. The potatoes were delicious.
      Reply
  20. How much water? Does the soil need drainage? What about amending the soil? Are they just not that picky? In shady areas, do they just grow slower?
    Reply
  21. Hi, Great and informative Am in Nigeria-tropical climate, we are in rainy season with heavy rains that may end around end of September to middle of October and the dry season with sun will start. I have some sweet potatoes can I start the planting process now?
    Reply
    1. Try mid September unless it’s cold. You need it to be about 20 degrees centigrade or better. Best of luck.
      Reply
    2. I s 18 x 21 inches and I want to grow some sweet potatoes in them . I will try to plant some slips and see how it goes. I love sweet potatoes. how many should I try to put in it.
      Reply
      1. Sweet potatoes are a vine and for each place thevine hits the ground a new potatoe forms unlike regular rustic potatoes that you plant one potatoe and exactly where you planted that potatoe 40 more are there at harvest time. As long as you have the vine hit multiple spots in the pot you’ll be fine
        Reply
  24. I have two sweet potatoes from the grocery store!! I let them sit on my counter for two weeks, and now they have slips all over them!! I'm going to plant them even though it's July!! Here in Central Oregon we have summer from about July 1st to late September!! It won't hurt to try anyway!! And there's always next year!! But after I remove the slips, can I still eat those sweet potatoes??
    Reply
    2. The taste and chemical composition of the sweet potato changes during sprouting and should not be eaten.
      Reply
      1. I don’t know what hemisphere of the planet you live in, but could you explain in seasons rather than months. Southern Hemisphere September or northern hemisphere September ? May be better to say, the end ofAutumn or the beginning of Spring etc. I’ll just put a sweetie in a glass of water and see what happens. Thank you.
        Reply
  26. Hi, one month ago i had the potatoes in water when it was big with leaves i planted on my garden it has lots of flowers, my question is since i plant the whole sweet potatoes do i will have potatoes??
    Reply
    1. No I think you can get started anyway! It depends on your climate, but we are in Kansas and it would be just fine here. :)
      Reply
    1. Benny can you explain in detail how you plant your sweet potatoes in a tower? Margit living in Cape town South Africa
      Reply
    1. No they do not grow like regular potatoes. Sweet potatoes are part of the morning glory family and sends off a vine. For every place the vine comes in good contact with the ground another sweet potato will form. 1 sweet potatoe per contact with ground so do not move the vines around a lot or you may get a very small yield
      Reply
  34. Hi, i live in the south border of BRECON NATIONAL PARK of wales uk i,m an avid gardener and only use traditional heirloom seeds . I,m trying this april 2017 .i,ll keep you a praised alan
    Reply
  35. IS THIS FOR REAL? IF JUST ONE POTATO PRODUCED ALL THOSE YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE POTATO FOR ALL THOSE SLIPS.
    Reply
    1. Each sweet potato will produce up to 20 slips. This is feasible from one potato. Haters gonna hate.
      Reply
      1. I love this and your response! I have my sweet potato in a glass and can not wait to see it start to sprout. I have a raised bed that is currently a weed bed. It will soon be my sweet potato bed. :D
        Reply