Growing potatoes in containers can make gardening accessible for the small space gardener. If you enjoy eating and growing potatoes, then try sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are productive, taste delicious and once established are pretty hardy. Sweet potato is a great crop to grow in warm to hot areas, where it can often be difficult to grow traditional potatoes. If you have enough room you can also plant a permanent sweet potato patch. Once your sweet potatoes have sprouted, you have to separate them i… 09 Feb 09, Grahame (Australia - temperate climate) Hi Michelle, It's probably a little late to put sweet potatoes in now as they take quite a few months to produce. To create sprouts, carefully wash your potatoes and cut them either in half or in large sections. Planting sweet potatoes in containers. Over the winter and early spring months, they'll establish into strong plants and will be providing you with tubers in no time! Before inserting the cuttings, spread a handful of general purpose fertiliser. Potatoes are prone to disease, so be sure to practice good crop rotation. Allow 30 centimetres between each cutting. They're highly digestible, rich in vitamin C, just as useful as ordinary potatoes in the kitchen, and have a distinctive sweet flavour. Water them regularly and well until roots develop. The other, sweet potato weevil, is much more of a problem, particularly in tropical Australia. And unlike regular potatoes, their meandering, snaking vine grows like a giant’s intestines. After that, feed monthly with seaweed fertiliser, and water sparingly. A small pot will not do. The sweet potato is a large, sweet-tasting root of the morning glory family. They're so much tastier when home-grown with organic nutrients, but I didn't ever dream that it would be possible to grow sweet potatoes in this climate, way down south in Victoria, Australia, as I'd only ever seen them growing … Although I have a small garden, I just love to grow vegetables. The best growing conditions for sweet potato plants. Sweet potatoes are productive, taste delicious and once established are pretty hardy. This will avoid tubers rotting in wet weather. The sweet potato is suitable for growing in zones 3-11 as an annual, and zones 8-11 as a perennial. Growing Sweet Potatoes The Lazy Way. Sweet potatoes require a notoriously long growing season — about 100 to 140 days to be exact. Plant slips directly in the soil, planter, hanging basket, bucket, or a pot. You other option is to just buy one from a good greengrocer and grow … Sweet potatoes also like loose, well-drained soil. To create the perfect environment, create long, wide, 10-inch-high ridges spaced 3½ feet apart. 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. Sow and Plant. As long as you have good drainage and follow the growing tips below, you can grow sweet potatoes pretty much anywhere. Actually, though, you can pretty easily grow potatoes above ground in a pot or bag. The first is golden brown, the second is purple, and there is a white skinned variety. Gina Welds Hulse (author) from Rockledge, Florida on July 22, 2017: Thank you, Martha and Chitrangada Sharan. Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and come in two different varieties — dry flesh types and moist flesh types. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalised calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. I am so glad you found the article helpful. From a growing plant, remove a section of vine about 10 to 12 inches long. For details about how your personal information will be handled by the ABC, please see our Privacy Collection Statement, FAQs - Attracting bees | Protecting cauliflowers from frost | Using fallen leaves, Start with established runners from a sweet potato plant, Cut the runners into pencil-sized lengths. Place on a window sill that receives sun or in a warm spot for several weeks until shoots b… Create a slit in the soil and firmly press the soil over the cutting, leaving the tip exposed. The thing they dislike is frosts. A close relative of morning glory, these nutritious veggies thrive in the tropics. But the heart-leafed vine that produces sweet potatoes requires a longer growing season (100 to 140 days) and warmer soil than the kind of plant that produces regular "white" potatoes. 1. Sweet potatoes will grow in poor soil, but deformed roots may develop in heavy clay or long and stringy in sandy dirt. The sweet potato plant is a hardy, easy-to-grow crop that yields large tubers. Sweet potatoes are heat loving plants. Potatoes like a rich, but well drained soil. Growing sweet potatoes can require a lot of space however, with the use of containers and compact varieties any gardener is able to grow their own. Plant … Sprinkle with some Blood and Bone and water in well. Avoid garden soil, which is too heavy and becomes compacted. SERIES 29 | Episode 30. L IKE regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are starchy tubers that form underground. Sweet potatoes are easy to grow but they do need a few things to grow really well. In Melbourne, it is usually done in May when the previous crop is lifted. One seed potato tuber yields around 8-10 tubers. In warmer climates – plant the runners straight into the garden into well-prepared potting mix or soil. They have a habit of scrambling through the garden like pumpkin. There are so many varieties available to the Australian home gardener. There are only two common problems with sweet potatoes. Take note, however, they … This can be done at any time of the year. Prevent this damage happening by crop rotation. "Hi I have grown potatoes in containers for years but have never had much success before, the potatoes that I have grown like this year are very large potatoes and they are all up to the top of my dustbins (3 quarters full) I have used well rotted horse manure before but this year have used fish, blood and bone. These well-known tubers are easy to grow at home. I’ve had a lot of success with growing sweet potatoes in a container and hanging basket. Potatoes can be grown in a potato tower, garbage can, Tupperware bin or even a gunnysack or burlap bag. Sweet Potato Plant. Feeling Seedy. Keep moist, but not wet. Propagate either by cuttings or planting young tubers. If you want to grow sweet potatoes in a container, plant the rooted slip into a pot or grow bag big enough to grow nice tubers. Both edible and ornamental varieties of sweet potato grow quite well in large pots. To start your slips, you need several healthy, clean sweet potatoes. In this video, I show you how to grow sweet potato in containers or pots. However, if you plant the sprouting section, called a slip, you can grow your own sweet potatoes in just a few months time. The other, sweet potato weevil, is much more of a problem, particularly in tropical Australia. Notes. The easiest way to grow sweet potatoes is by taking cuttings from an existing vine. What you will need. A container has the advantage that it will warm up the soil better. That way you can grow sweet potatoes all year round, and you don't find yourself with a big pile of them all at once. Each sweet potato can produce up to 50 slip sprouts. The first is grasshoppers, which chew the leaves, so the damage is merely cosmetic. They’re versatile and grow happily in containers or in the ground. When I started growing sweet potatoes I didn't plant in rows. They're equally pretty and short lived. In this video from GrowVeg we see how it’s done. Fill with 10 - 20cm of mixed compost and potting mix. Growing potatoes in a container. Sweet potatoes are the tuberous roots of a beautiful creeping vine. As an experienced gardener, you know that all containers are not created equal. They don't need much water to crop well. Start with a healthy sweet potato. Work in plenty of compost, avoiding nitrogen-rich fertilizers that produce lush vines and stunted tubes. Plant ornamental sweet potato vine in a container filled within 1 inch of the top with commercial potting soil. Top notch potatoes are grown from what is known as “seed” potatoes, which are virus-free spud tubers which have formed “eyes”. If you would like to know how to grow a big harvest of sweet potato watch this video for my five top tips on sweet potato growing! In the North, cover the raised rows with black plastic to keep t… Store-bought sweet potatoes work perfectly well and growing them is simple. The secret to growing sweet potatoes is a long frost free growing season. The cuttings can be placed in a jar of water to take root. We look at how to grow sweet potatoes and when to plant them. After 3-4 weeks, the slips will stretch … Containers created specifically for potatoes, such as this Garden Vegetable Grow Bag, are easy to work with and are quite inexpensive compared to plastic or ceramic.These bags are designed specifically to provide aeration to the roots, adequate drainage and even side pockets to sneak a small spud here and there. This is a very undemanding crop to grow; sweet potatoes are drought- and heat-tolerant and have few pests or diseases. Plant them in raised beds or on mounds 15 centimetres high. A perennial in its native environment, growing sweet potatoes in containers is actually an easy endeavor but the plant is usually grown as an annual this way. In cooler climates - place the runner cuttings into pots filled with good potting mix and place the pots in a warm spot like a hothouse or on a sunny windowsill. Place each section in a jar or glass of water with half of the potato below the water and half above. (A 10-foot row will produce 8 to 10 pounds of potatoes.) Vine Cuttings. I prefer cuttings because there is no chance of transmitting weevils, their most serious pest. I'm growing the cultivar 'Marguerite' in the garden because it's more compact than other sweet potatoes. Check that the slips are leafy and over 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall. Use toothpicks to hold the potato in place (Image 1). Sweet potatoes form a dense green ground cover, thriving in … Find one at least 40 - 50 cm deep with holes in the bottom for drainage. When you grow potatoes in a container, harvesting is easier because all the tubers are in one place. It certainly was an exciting journey in growing the sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes grow easily in warm to hot climates, where they can be planted year round. For details about how your personal information will be handled by the ABC, please see our Privacy Collection Statement. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Whether you decide to plant in beds or in grow bags, choose a spot that provides full-sunlight for most of the day. Their botanical name is Ipomoea batatas and the flowers resemble those of Morning Glory. You can place a sprouting tuber  directly into the ground and it will grow and eventually set tubers, but it will take some time because the shoots need to establish runners, then roots which will then form tubers. Sweet potatoes need a loamy soil with a pH between 5.0-6.5. Thanks for stopping by. Take cuttings that are about 30 centimetres long, remove all side leaves, except from the tip. Sweet potatoes are usually grown from slips, prepared from a mature plant. (Regular potatoes belong to the nightshade family). Prevent this damage happening by crop rotation. Plant your potatoes about 10cm deep and 30cm apart after the chance of frost has passed. They have a much shorter growing season in temperate climates, but can still be grown successfully during the hot, Victorian summers. Sweet potatoes are grown from cuttings or transplants, rather than seeds. You can get 'seed potatoes' from nurseries, usually from Goodman seeds. Never plant sweet potatoes in ground where they have previously grown. Have you seen my hub: 'How to grow sweet potatoes in a container', published in April last year? Plant 'slips' that grow from sprouting tubers in late spring or early summer, after the soil is very warm. You can place a sprouting tuber directly into the ground and it will grow … You're likely to find three types of sweet potato based on skin colour. Soil Requirements. Potatoes grown in this beaut mix will be tastier than you ever imagined! Growing Sweet Potatoes In A Container. In reality there is little difference in flavour. Leave about 80cm between each row. The first is well dug, compost rich soil, and they need drainage. Spuds need a soil pH of about 5.5 – 6 for top notch, scab-free growth. Propagation of Sweet Potatoes. Cut it in half and place in a glass of water, leaving half the vegetable out of the water and half submerged. I did. Depending on the variety, they can also have a role in the ornamental garden. Sweet potatoes are an easy crop to grow, and you can grow them in many areas of Australia. It takes 100 to 140 days for sweet potatoes to grow harvestable tubers, depending on the variety. Sweet potatoes, known as kumera, are originally a native of South America and are an important starch staple in the Pacific Islands. If you live in an apartment with a balcony, potatoes can be grown in a container, pot, wheelbarrow etc.