How to Grow Sweet Potatoes Tuber

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes winter project can be done indoor. It can create warmth and joy for the whole family.


If you have ever tried planting potatoes; then you would already knew that, the young plants appeared on the tubers from the sprouted eyes are 'Slips'.


When these slips are rooted; they would grow into matured plants; and they could produce your table potatoes.


Sweet potatoes are the same as white potatoes. You can learn about slips growing by either using only one portion of the fruit; or using the whole fruit.


Project Purposes:
Learn about soil-less gardening

Learn about how to maximise your time, space and resources.


Project Materials:
* A clean top portion of a sweet potato
* Rain water or tap water
* Re-usable shallow trays


Sweet Potato Supplier:
From the school desserts cooking class or from the store

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes Tops

1. Place the top portion of the sweet potato under either natural or heated room temperature 20°C for one day.

2. The next day, rinse it and set it into a shallow tray of rain or tap water.

3. Change water everyday.


Project Observation

* The 1st purplish sprout started on 13-1-2012 (picture 1); and the second shoot (picture 3) came 3 days later.

* The cut surface was prepared to root (picture 4) on 7-2-2012 (day 26).

* The first shoot was thicker on the day 27 (picture 5).

* The 1st root came below the fruit on 13th February (picture 6&7).

* Several shoots had started to form their leaves on 27-2-2012 (picture 8).

* Three leaves were formed on 11-3-2012 (picture 9).

* Plentiful of white thick roots were growing below the fruit (picture 10).

* On 24-3-2012 more leaves were formed and the shoots grown taller (picture 11).

* On 1-4-2012 (day 79) all leaves were widely opened and green (picture 12).

* More roots were forming under the fruit (picture 13).

* Transferred the fruit to a larger container (picture 14) due to more roots were growing continuously.

* On 11-4-2012 three to four sweet potato slips were formed (picture 15&16).

* Three young plants were transplanted to the greenhouse raised bed on 29-5-2012 (picture 17).

* On 24th June they were stronger and bigger (picture 18).

* The leftover young plant together with the fruit (picture 19) were transferred to the outdoor grow bed (picture 20) for further growth.


Transplanting Slips

Cut off the young sweet potato plants with their attached white roots, one by one carefully; and insert them into a rich and good drainage greenhouse vegetable grow bed when the spring frost is  over.


If you are short of time; you can try this soil-less vegetable gardening method.


In this way, you can either start your gardening in a greenhouse after the young plants are strong and steady; or move the tall sized plants straight to the outdoor grow box; or planting sweet potatoes in plate when the weather is perfect.


When the plants get the essential warmth, they would grow supper fast and healthy. And they would ignore all kinds of insects.


Set up an effortless four season vegetable gardening project for seniors gardening or at your home school program?



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