growing sweet potatoes in pots

Growing Sweet Potatoes In A Container. Make sure that there are no air pockets near the roots. Then gently put one or two slips into the hole and pat the soil firm around them. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. It takes 100 to 140 days for sweet potatoes to grow harvestable tubers, depending on the variety. They must be planted in a well-drained, fine sandy loam soil with a slightly acidic pH 5 to 7.5. Both types grow best in sunny conditions, but if you want to grow the garden varieties that produce edible tubers, it will take quite a long growing season. Pots spilling with sweet potato vines are particularly attractive. Sweet Potato in Bags. Be sure to select bush varieties, which produce shorter vines when growing a potted sweet potato plant. Then put the slip in the dirt and pat it down to make sure it is secure. X If the soil feels dry, add water. We share with you how growing sweet potatoes in containers for a BIG Harvest is easy. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Sweet potato plants love the hot weather, but will grow more potatoes if they have plenty water. Loose soil is the key to getting good edible tubers, so take some time to prepare the planting site if your plants will be growing in the ground. If you don't have a drill, you can use a sharp knife to cut holes into the bottom of the bucket, but be very careful not to cut yourself. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. If you don't want to use your hand, you can also use a small garden spade to dig the holes. Growing in Containers. The sweet potato is suitable for growing in zones 3-11 as an annual, and zones 8-11 as a perennial. This is natural. The foliage can be trained up string, canes or trellis. The same techniques that apply to growing potatoes in the ground apply to growing them in containers. Step One: Select a variety of sweet potato that is ideal for growing in containers. You can also create your own slips to plant in the spring. Many gardeners reference ‘Portio Rico’ (also referred to as ‘Bush’ or ‘Vineless’) as an ideal variety for smaller gardens or containers. While both varieties are technically edible, those sold as ornamental sweet potato vine are sometimes described as "barely edible" since the roots are smaller and much less sweet (bordering on bitter); these have been bred primarily for their attractive trailing foliage. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Soil Requirements. Plant ornamental sweet potato vine in a container filled within 1 inch of the top with commercial potting soil. Avoid garden soil, which is too heavy and becomes compacted. Sweet potatoes will grow in poor soil, but deformed roots may develop in heavy clay or long and stringy in sandy dirt. I have one plant of each variety in five large pots containing a good mix … There may already be a rudimentary root structure attached to the slip. The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. References. Fill the container with high-quality potting soil until the surface of the soil reaches about 1 inch below the rim. You can harvest vegetable varieties of sweet potatoes at any stage and they will be edible. In any case, they should be harvested before the first frost in the fall for best edibility. Supermarket sweet potatoes are often sprayed with a chemical called “BudNip” that stops slips from sprouting. "This article told me all I need to know to grow my own sweet potatoes in a container from a tuber I have sprouting. Some potatoes may have grown more than others. In the North, cover the raised rows with black plastic to keep th… Likely varieties for sweet potato container crops are … The sweet potatoes will remain unspoiled at room temperature for up to a year if you've given them time to form a suberin coat. Many gardeners reference ‘Portio Rico’ (also referred to as ‘Bush’ or ‘Vineless’) as an ideal variety for smaller gardens or containers. They can adapt to the soil temperature ranging from 60 to 85 F (15-30 C). Avoid compost that's rich in nitrogen fertilizer. Check with local agricultural groups for their planting calendars to get a good idea when to plant the potato slips. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Grow-Sweet-Potatoes-in-Containers-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Sweet-Potatoes-in-Containers-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Grow-Sweet-Potatoes-in-Containers-Step-1.jpg\/aid10355061-v4-728px-Grow-Sweet-Potatoes-in-Containers-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"