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keiki_gw

sweet potatoes grown in a bag

keiki
11 years ago

I tried growing sweets in a grow bag this year and as requested I will share my results. I bought a large bag online, made one out of burlap and an old woven plastic bag, and used a fabric bag for the third batch. The large store bought bag was grown in full sun and I harvested 6 small but nice regular sweets and about 15 ugly long fingerlings. The homemade bag ended up getting shaded as a nearby plant grew so quickly I forgot it was there :( The results were an embarrassing 1 regular potato and 6 small fingerlings. The variety of these bags were beauregard, The third bag has a unnamed bush variety from a friend. I haven't harvested this one yet as it was planted later. Sad, kind of embarrassing results. Anyone else tried this? If so how did yours fair?

Comments (13)

  • saldut
    11 years ago

    I planted some in pots, low, and filled w/soil as they grew... it works pretty good because I don't have those long runners all over the back-yard, and it's easy to feel down in it to get a 'tater... I have several with regular runner type, also more w/dwarf bush-type, and they all grow very well this way...also I can move them around if need be and it frees up my real-estate for other stuff. sally

  • keiki
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Good to hear Sally. I filled mine with soil as they grew also. Did you harvest the whole pot or are you just getting one when you want? I thought about pots as well but read that they do better in bags as they need good drainage. I will give it another try and hopefully produce more.

  • goldenpond
    11 years ago

    Grew mine in bins. The grandboys had such fun helping me harvest them. I turned over the bin and they dug for the buried treasure.
    ~tanya

  • saldut
    11 years ago

    I just dug around until I hit a decent-sized one, I guess you could just dump the whole thing at once but then you have to use them, or something.... if they stay in there longer I assume they keep growing?? I find the pots dry out quicker, and don't have the wet problem in the ground what with all this rain...I like the pots because you don't have those vines all over the place, but most of mine now are the bush kind, they still run but not as much....sally

  • katkin_gw
    11 years ago

    Last year I grew mine in a pot, and would just dig up what I wanted to use that night and left the vine. They seemed to keep producing. This year I have the vines in the ground and they are all over. I can't seem to find the potatoes, yet. I guess I'll have to get in there with a pitch fork. :o)

  • keiki
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Nice picture Tanya! Well I am thinking I will try pots next time since the grow bags are close to impossible to move. What did you guys use for soil and how long did you leave them in the container? I harvested mine at about 100 days.

  • goldenpond
    11 years ago

    I used my own compost . I hear they aren't picky about soil though so I am going to try some for ground cover in an area with bad soil,can't hurt.The roots have escaped thru the drainage holes and started some in the ground.Thats ok with me. I left mine about 100 days and I believe you should leave them 121. But I like them smaller so I don't get too fat!Good size for grand kids too.

  • dirtycoconuts
    11 years ago

    I used old recycling bins. Good results. Just dump them into an empty bin to harvest.

  • mrs_tlc
    11 years ago

    Are the bush ones from Tina? She sent me some as well. I was on vacation when they came so I wasn't sure they were going to survive at all. Two survived. One was planted in a large container outside and it doing fantastic! I haven't even tried to harvest because I wasn't sure when/how.... BUT dug my finger into the soil yesterday to find a nice large sweet potato!! You'd have thought I won the lottery I was so excited! LOL........

    The other one I planted in a concrete planter on the lanai. It's only half the size and I don't see any signs of potatoes. Probably because the screen cuts down on the sun's energy?

    So can we take cuttings off of the vines and root them for more plants that will produce?

  • keiki
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Laurie the second batch was from Tina. They were better than the beauregard but still small. I now think I harvested to early.

    Yes, you can root a piece of the vine or a piece of a potato. I am going to try again. I wish I had a good spot for them in the ground.

  • mrs_tlc
    11 years ago

    I was happy with how well it did in the container I used but I am sure they would produce more if they were planted in the ground. I'm a little afraid to plant them in the ground because my hubby has used roundup in the yard in the past and I'm not sure how long that stays in the soil...

    I also read that you can eat the leaves like spinach. Have you tried that Robyn? (sp?)

  • starryrider
    11 years ago

    Round Up breaks down quickly. You can plant within a few days.

  • mrs_tlc
    11 years ago

    Robyn - I was away when the sweets came in the mail so mine didn't get into the large container until probably the last of June or maybe even first week of July. So I guess at this point they've had about 120 days. Do you think I should wait longer to harvest them or wait a couple of weeks?

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