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leekle2mane

Sweet Potato Tubers

This morning I moved my sweet potato plants from a large wooden planter that I had built for my wife to grow veggies in and put them into a large bucket (about 30 gallons) I picked up from Wally World for $4.50 (clearanced). While digging up the plants, I found a dozen or so small tubers have already started growing (they were planted in August), but they rather easily broke off from the roots they were attached to. I feel fairly certain that these will now sprout new plants, though I could be wrong. My question is:

If they do sprout new plants, will these tubers continue to grow or will I have to wait for them to form their own tubers?

Comments (10)

  • judyk_2008 9a DeLeon Sprs. (NW Volusia)
    11 years ago

    Yes, they will grow. I thought I did a good job digging mine up and they are coming up again in my rows of peas. It's hard to get rid of them when planted in the ground. Also, I'm sure you are aware, the tops will easily freeze. I don't know if they will come back up in a pot since I've never done that. I'm sure someone else will advise you.

  • Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Okay, I should clarify, will the tubers that broke, after sprouting, continue to grow in size?

    Here's a pic I took of them with a pencil for size comparison. Far from ready for 'harvesting'.
    {{gwi:974628}}

  • judyk_2008 9a DeLeon Sprs. (NW Volusia)
    11 years ago

    Probably. I threw the ones I accidentally broke, cut with the shovel or were too little into my compost piles and I have vines growing all over the place. I have no idea how big a tuber they would make since they will probably get frozen this winter. Your temperatures are about the same as mine. Yours will freeze too but may come up in the spring. In the ground they will. I just don't know about being in a pot since I've never planted them that way.

  • postlethwait
    11 years ago

    Yes they will grow. Just replant them. I just dug up my 8x4' patch and got over 30 lbs of potatoes and they have already started to regrow. I just put the too small ones back in the ground and start over.

  • mrs_tlc
    11 years ago

    postlethwait - wow! What variety are you growing? This is my first time growing them but I put them in containers because I wanted to solarize the beds (nematode combat).

  • Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I am having to plant mine in containers as the park I live in prohibits the planting of veggies/crops in-ground. I could possibly get away with telling them "It's not a veggie, it's an ornamental vine!", but I would rather hold on to my integrity. Thanks for the information provided.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    "prohibits the planting of veggies/crops in-ground"

    What?

    No ornamental cabbage? Fruit/nut trees? Pepper plants? Swiss chard? Salvia, basil, lavender, rosemary shrubs? Does some walk around yards to check? How do they decide if there's been a violation? If they catch you eating something you grew?

    There are edibles throughout my yard and I can assure you, it doesn't look like a veggie garden.

    These potatoes are from chartreuse sweet potato vines, Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita.' Hardy at least this far north, and definitely ornamental, as are the "plain green" vines from "regular" sweet potatoes. And the pretty purple flowers.

  • Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    In a sense, yes.

    There are two owners of this park. One, the majority owner, lives up in PA. And it's a good thing. I have yet to meet him, but from what I've heard about him, he's pretty much a crazed tyrant. (Heard one story about him running, full-speed, down a street to yell at someone who had parked their motorcycle in their own grass. And then threatened to shoot the motorcycle if it wasn't moved... but that's just rumor, so far). The other, his brother, is a lesser partner and lives in the park. He's in his 70's and is an old-school union steel worker that doesn't understand what it means to 'take a break'. As he put it himself, "The day I stop working, is the day they will probably find me dead." He's always out working in the park. As such, he kind of keeps an eye on things going on in the park. Kind of sucks, but kind of comforting that he's aware of things. He's not nearly as crazy as his brother, but is strict about the rules. Fruit trees are allowed. Nut trees are probably allowed too, though I have yet to see one aside from oaks. I have herbs planted around my house to provide that aroma effect while I'm outside working and yeah, I am often clipping some for cooking. But when it comes to actual veggies, that's where they draw the line.

    One house had a raised bed and he noticed it while trimming a nearby tree. He asked if it had a bottom, they said no and he told them to dismantle it. Rules are rules. They dismantled it and rebuilt it with a bottom and now it's all cool. As such, my veggie planters not only have bottoms but are elevated a couple inches from the ground so that there's no question that they have bottoms.

    I try not to rock the boat too much as far as planting and growing things. I always provide this guy with drawings of how I'm planning on doing my beds or where I want a tree or... pretty much anything. As such, I have yet to be told no to anything I want. At the most he has provided his own input as to, "Well, yeah, but only if you..." So I can't complain too much. In 6-10 years we will hopefully be able to move out of here and get some actual land of our own, until then... Rules are rules.

  • saldut
    11 years ago

    A lot can be grown in pots, and earth-boxes...and earth-boxes can be made instead of being bought, take a look at one in a garden center or w/Google..plus they can be moved....sally

  • Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yeah, I just learned about the Earth Box today and immediately found out how to make my own through various on-line sources. I am looking more and more into this as a possible option for my yard.

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