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How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Sweet Potato Slips

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58 Comments

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!!

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.

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:

How We Bought a Propane Grill for Just $4 + Tax
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

Comments

  1. Bonnie says

    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

  2. Meghan says

    This was exactly what I've been looking for! Thank you for such a great set of instructions. Excellent!
    Reply

  3. Portuguese Lori says

    I have Sweet Potatoes on my counter and they do develope little purple vines with little keaves.I will try ur ideas gladly!
    Reply

  4. Krista B says

    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

  5. Trisha says

    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

    • Peg says

      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

  11. TJ says

    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

    • Rita Gorman says

      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

    • Ditas Enriquez says

      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

  12. Danae says

    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

  13. Gslt says

    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

    • Jan says

      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

  15. Brian says

    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

  16. Nsidibe Udokpan says

    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

    • Valerie Leppard says

      Try mid September unless it’s cold. You need it to be about 20 degrees centigrade or better. Best of luck.
      Reply

    • ritawhalen says

      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

      • Gwen says

        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

  19. Valerie S. says

    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

      • Carolyn Wiltshire says

        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

  21. Ofelia santana says

    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

    • Ashlea says

      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

    • Margit says

      Benny can you explain in detail how you plant your sweet potatoes in a tower? Margit living in Cape town South Africa
      Reply

    • Gwen says

      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

  29. alan says

    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

  30. Country Barb. says

    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

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