Sweet Potato Ground Layer

[ETXfigs]

This is my first year growing sweet potatoes. There are vines growing everywhere. It is my understanding that roots can grow at every node. So it seems that this plant would work great when ground layered. I took a couple of the vines and buried portions of it. Does anyone do this? How good does it work? I think I'm going to bury more of the vines.

 

[grasshopper]

No expert here but I have grown them for a long while. In commercial practice, they flip the vines regularly to keep underneath dry so that it won't root. Because it would lower the yield. Don't plant them too close together or it'll drop the yield.

You can layer it easily for propagation purpose. It takes only a few days to root with moist soil.

I usually tell my friends they need a plan for their sweet potato vines because it'll take over the whole place in no time. My plan -> go vertical. Plant it near something it can lean/loop/run on vertically like a fence/trellis. It 'll cover a normal 6-8' ft fence before the season ends.

Plan B is to start eating the vines/leaves. Stir fry, boil, steam ...

 

[ETXfigs]

No expert here but I have grown them for a long while. In commercial practice, they flip the vines regularly to keep underneath dry so that it won't root. Because it would lower the yield. Don't plant them too close together or it'll drop the yield.

You can layer it easily for propagation purpose. It takes only a few days to root with moist soil.

I usually tell my friends they need a plan for their sweet potato vines because it'll take over the whole place in no time. My plan -> go vertical. Plant it near something it can lean/loop/run on vertically like a fence/trellis. It 'll cover a normal 6-8' ft fence before the season ends.

Plan B is to start eating the vines/leaves. Stir fry, boil, steam ...

In the first pic if you look close there is a paracord running horizontal. I have tied another one above that one and I can keep tying more of them as high as the roof. They are almost up to the second paracord now. I am also going to move that border around the flower bed to give them more room in the ground.

 

[grasshopper]

Hee hee, I gauge the size based on the steps behind and the tomato cage. You'll soon find out you need more space for it to climb. Remember: plan A is to go vertical so that it doesn't root on the ground. Plan B is to start eating the vines to keep it in check.

 

[ETXfigs]

Hee hee, I gauge the size based on the steps behind and the tomato cage. You'll soon find out you need more space for it to climb. Remember: plan A is to go vertical so that it doesn't root on the ground. Plan B is to start eating the vines to keep it in check.

Did you read my previous post, I am putting horizontal paracord that can go up as high as the roof of the house. I will post pics when they get higher up.

 

[grasshopper]

Nope, didn't see the part about the roof of the house. How high and wide can it go? From my experience, it can run 20 ft & more, not including the branching. I cut mine back to about 10-14 ft.

 

[Beabchasingizz]

I planted them in 2021 and they have been coming back every year since. Usually when I harvest them, a tiny piece breaks off or I leave the tiny ones behind. I didn't like the curing process so I've been trying to get rid of them. I wouldn't plant them unless you want them there forever. Although the space you have is pretty small so it would be easy to eradicate it

I've attached an image of last year's harvest. Since then, I've planted trees in that area so I need to be careful when digging them up. I might try to get rid of it this year.

Vietnamese people love eating the tender green leaves.

 

[grasshopper]

I planted them in 2021 and they have been coming back every year since. Usually when I harvest them, a tiny piece breaks off or I leave the tiny ones behind. I didn't like the curing process so I've been trying to get rid of them. I wouldn't plant them unless you want them there forever. Although the space you have is pretty small so it would be easy to eradicate it

I've attached an image of last year's harvest. Since then, I've planted trees in that area so I need to be careful when digging them up. I might try to get rid of it this year.

Vietnamese people love eating the tender green leaves.

Which variety do you have? I usually have to replant new slips each year even though I do miss some during digging. I think I know why because our freezing weather kills off any surviving buds.

I had almost 110lbs in my first year. It took months to finish them off even with curing.

I stopped buying veggie for a few months and just kept eating those shoots and leaves. The green shoots run around $2.99 to $5.99/lb at asian supermarket.

I learnt it was easier to plant them in loose soil or it would be a pain to dig them up in clay.

 

[Beabchasingizz]

I don't know the varieties. I was just messing around and bought some organic orange and purple variety from sprouts. I did buy a named organic purple variety with white skin from the Japanese market but it didn't grow slips.

You are probably right, we don't get freeze here in SD. I wonder if burying deeper or covering with mulch would keep them alive.

I tried killing them this year buy using a hedge trimmer as and trimming to the ground. Then covered the entire area with cardboard. But they just pushed the cardboard up and grew around it. If I really want to get rid of it, I'll need to dig them up.

How are you curing them? I used 90 degree temp with 90% humidity last year but they didn't seem to get super sweet like the ones from the store. They also molded a bit. Someone on fb said to harvest in fall and you don't need to cure but I don't know if this is true or not.

I just harvested a few last week (image below) that were sticking out of the soil and cured in my cheap greenhouse (80f, 75% RH) for a week but it didn't get noticably sweeter. My 3 year old daughter does like them air fried as chips so I've been making that.

 

[grasshopper]

I bought a purple one from Sprouts called Stokes, which is originally discovered in Stokes county, NC. Purple sweet potatoes are usually not sweet and even a little bitter due to its anthocyanin (antioxidant) content. Stokes is one of the few exceptions.

Sweet potatoes are sometimes irradiated or treated, especially those from Hawaii such as the white ones you get from Japanese market. It is called Okinawan, originally from Okinawa but most of the ones we get here are from Hawaii. I had to try 5-6 times to get the slips on the Okinawan. They taste like chestnuts, which is very different from other sweet potatoes or purple sweet potatoes.

Nijima Market had one called Murasaki (means purple) is a truly purple inside and out sweet potato. There is another popular one that is sometimes called Murasaki but it is purple outside, white inside. That one also has rich flavor when roasted.

I tried to cure them different ways. e.g. in the hot boiler closet but they sprouted fairly easily if you don't dry them enough first. Yeah, you have to watch for mold too especially, the wounded ones. I harvested most of mine in the fall. They were not sweet at harvest. I think over time, the starch got converted into sugar - part of the curing. The other part is to thicken skin to reduce dehydration.

Oops, I hope we didn't hijack this thread...

 

[ETXfigs]

I don't know if i did it right. I put the sweet potatoes in the soil, shown in the pic below. Then I covered them with leaves and kept them moist until they sprouted. Then I separated them planting the whole potatoes in individual holes.

 

[ETXfigs]

I also planted some potatoes (not sweet potatoes) like this.

 

[grasshopper]

You can plant cut up potatoes that way. I have done that a few times.

But for sweet potatoes, we usually grow them from slips (about 6" long sprouts cut off from the buds and then root them in moist media/water to generate roots). Planting slip is also the way commercial farms plant sweet potatoes.

For some reasons unknown, if the old bud/part of it is attached to the slips, it doesn't generate new buds, at least from the same point. Not sure why.

 

[TorontoJoe]

Never tried growing sweet potatoes. Are they faster/slower to maturity than regular potatoes?

 

[grasshopper]

Sweet potatoes are slower in my experience but it can be about the same depending on varieties (3-4 mos). Sweet potatoes are tropical plants and thrive in hot summers, whereas potatoes are temperate plants. I have grown sweet potatoes in z6b/7a, fairly easy except you need to have a place for the vines to climb/rest on or it would cover the whole yard in no time.

Potatoes, on the other hand, don't like temperatures above 30C or it would stop forming tubers. In the hot areas, it is typically planted in early spring.

 

[grasshopper]

Hmm, I have mentioned Stokes and Okinawan.

Satsuma is another very popular one (purple skin, yellowish white inside) in Japan. Yep, same name as the Satsuma Mandarin, probably came from the same province. It is more starchy, flaky rich, very different from the soft southern sweet potatoes. Sprouts, Whole foods and Trader Joe's have them sometimes. In CA, most Japanese/Asian markets have them.

Murasaki, the one with purple skin and white flash can be found at Trader Joe's or Sprouts. It was developed at LSU sweet potato station in the 2000s. Interestingly, they use the Japanese word purple to name the sweet potato, probably due to the skin. It hasn't grown successfully in commercial in LA but do well in CA. It is similar to Satsuma but the taste is not as rich or intense.

Nijiya, a Japanese supermarket, with its own farm op, also has a Murasaki Imo (purple sweet potato), which is purple outside and inside. I only grew it once but I don't think it was particularly impressive. It was mildly sweet with a softer texture. I would pick Stokes over it. I remember it has huge head size, heart shape leaves though.

About harvesting sweet potatoes, don't wait too long or the sweet potatoes can grow too big, which is good for the picture but can be too fibrous to eat.

 

[figpumper]

No expert here but I have grown them for a long while. In commercial practice, they flip the vines regularly to keep underneath dry so that it won't root. Because it would lower the yield. Don't plant them too close together or it'll drop the yield.

You can layer it easily for propagation purpose. It takes only a few days to root with moist soil.

I usually tell my friends they need a plan for their sweet potato vines because it'll take over the whole place in no time. My plan -> go vertical. Plant it near something it can lean/loop/run on vertically like a fence/trellis. It 'll cover a normal 6-8' ft fence before the season ends.

Plan B is to start eating the vines/leaves. Stir fry, boil, steam ...

Sautéd sweet potato leaves! Yumm!!!

 

[grasshopper]

I don't know if i did it right. I put the sweet potatoes in the soil, shown in the pic below. Then I covered them with leaves and kept them moist until they sprouted. Then I separated them planting the whole potatoes in individual holes.

View attachment 8590

You may not need that many seed sweet potatoes. Most of the time, you don't even need one, half or 1/3 is enough depending on it's size. Each one of these whole sweet potato can generate about 30-60+ slips.(As long as it is not treated to prevent sprouts. Usually, the organic ones or the ones you get from farmers markets are not treated)

 

[ETXfigs]

You may not need that many seed sweet potatoes. Most of the time, you don't even need one, half or 1/3 is enough depending on it's size. Each one of these whole sweet potato can generate about 30-60+ slips.(As long as it is not treated to prevent sprouts. Usually, the organic ones or the ones you get from farmers markets are not treated)

I got two small vines from a big box store and the ones in the pics I posted were from Walmart. They were sweet potatoes (not live plants) for planting. Here is a pic of the package they came in.

 

[grasshopper]

If it is sold in a grow pack, you can probably sprout it with ease.

I typically try all the sweet potatoes first before growing them because it takes space and time to grow them. I cut half of the bud, cook it up for taste, while the other half sits in a water dish for a few days before sprouting.

For the Okinawan, I had to try 5-6 different places to find one that sprouts. At the time, I don't think LSU or a lot of places sell untreated ones or slips.

Okinawan from Okinawa are actually steamed treated to kill off weevils. It is still raw inside but the chance of sprouts reduced after the steam bath.

Oh, UBE from Philippines is another good one to look for. I think it is in the yam family, has a richer, starchier or creamer texture. I haven't seen it sold raw live in the US, even in Philippines grocery stores. You can find them in the frozen veggie section or many pastry or ice cream shops would have UBE products.

I think all the potatoes and sweet potatoes came from South America originally and spread by world travelers to Europe and Asia.