# how I grow sweet potato slips



## Errol

this is how I grow my own sweet potato slips..IMO it is the quickest way to get sweet potato slips started. First get 3-4 of your favorite sweet potatoes. My favorite is Beauregard (90-110 days) so this is what I raise. Sweet potatoes is a tropical plant, so it needs plenty of summer heat. For those with a short summer, Georgia Jet is a good choice.
Ok now the 2nd thing is to get a container of plastic, mine is about 16x10x7 inches deep









drill a 1/2 inch hole in one end about 3 inches from the bottom, purchase a 3ft piece of "Rope Light", usually at Lowes or Home Depot. these lights are waterproof and all connections are outside the plastic container. Next I cover the bottom with a piece of aluminum foil shiney side up, then place the rope light on top of the foil, curl around as pictured. then I put in 4 inches of potting MIX (soiless mix) then I take the sweet potatoes and lay flat and buried 1/2 way in the soil with 1/2 above the soil. moisten the soil with a spray bottle and do this every couple days. Not soaked but moisten. I then hang a light above this about 3-4 inches, plug in the rope light and it will keep the soil temperature about 80-85 degrees constant which is perfect for growing sweet potatoes.

















sweet potatoes sprouting in just a few days









after removing the sprouts from the potato, you can either stick them in a glass of water (they will developed more roots or put them in a pan of soil to root to wait until transplanting


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## stephanie

cool I wanted to do sweet potatoes, ordered slips but they all died. this will be a great help for me to give them a try!


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## Errol

yep and the more you take off the more you have! I set out 52 slips and gave away probably 75 or 80


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## veggiewhisperer

Erro,

How long do you keep them under those conditions before planting them outside?


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## Errol

veggiewhisperer, they can keep for several weeks. I have after cutting them off the mother potato, put them in a pint jar of water andkept them for up to 6 weeks. Just change the water every week. You will see lots of roots in just a few days and they will get all tangled up, but that doesn't seem to matter because when you transplant some roots will be torn when separating but they will grow back and take off. I have also after cutting them off the mother plant set them in pots or pans of soil until I am ready to transplant and they do really well this way also. I guess my favorite and seems to be the easiest way is to put them in jars of water. just keep them where it is warm until transplant time
go for it, and good luck
let me know if I can be of further help when you get started


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## Josephrichard

This is one of the new way of growing the sweet potato slips, I have never seen before.
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I am a student and I like to cook different types of foods http://www.zippd.com.au


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## beacon450

I like the idea, such a different and unique idea for me.. Sweet potatoes are my favorite. I'll must try to grow. Hope you will help me if I need.


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## Metafarawe

Thank you for the*informative*posts.


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