sweet potato slips - starting grocery store produce

[Mr_Yan]

Chalk this up as probably a bad idea but... I have grocery store bought sweet potatoes that have started sprouting and plan on growing these as a houseplant vine for the winter. My hope is to make them survive the winter and take cuttings of what is still growing in April and May to start a crop of sweet potato vines.

I know it is about as wrong a time of year to start this experiment but buying slips around here is so stupid expensive and the sweet potatoes I tried to slip in the winter failed.

So why not...

Anyone see a reason NOT to do this?

 

[Chuck]

Chalk this up as probably a bad idea but... I have grocery store bought sweet potatoes that have started sprouting and plan on growing these as a houseplant vine for the winter. My hope is to make them survive the winter and take cuttings of what is still growing in April and May to start a crop of sweet potato vines.

I know it is about as wrong a time of year to start this experiment but buying slips around here is so stupid expensive and the sweet potatoes I tried to slip in the winter failed.

So why not...

Anyone see a reason NOT to do this?

When I was a kid my mother did this exact same thing. Take a cutting about a foot long and bury the entire thing leaving a few of the leaves exposed. Her indoor sweet potato vine was huge and lasted for a long time.

 

[Durgan]

5 May 2019 Sweet Potato Slips
Posted on May 5, 2019 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/May%202019/5%20May%202019%20Sweet%20Potato%20Slips/HTML/ 5 May 2019 Sweet Potato Slips
Sweet potato slips were produced from a purchased supermarket tuber. The potato was placed in water,and light and allowed to grow for about a month. They were then placed in a growing pot and will allowed to grow for about a month. They will be about 4 inches high and then will be planted outdoors when it is warm about 24 May in my area, Zone 5. Even these small slips will grow without further pot growing. I expect 3 to 5 pounds from each plant depending much upon warm weather. Harvest is late Fall.

 

[Durgan]

25 May 2019 Sweet Potato Planted outdoors.
http://durgan.org/2019/May 2019/25 May 2019 Sweet Potato/HTML/ 25 May 2019 Sweet Potato
The four sweet potatoes growing in the greenhouse were planted in a rabbit protected outdoor garden. They will be harvested in late September. Expect about five pounds from each plant.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Thanks @Chuck and @Durgan

I was thinking the whole over wintering the vine could cause problems but caution never gets you anywhere right?

Chuck - how long is "...lasted a long time"? Years?

 

[Chuck]

Thanks @Chuck and @Durgan

I was thinking the whole over wintering the vine could cause problems but caution never gets you anywhere right?

Chuck - how long is "...lasted a long time"? Years?

Yes years. The roots were in a +/-5 gallon ceramic pot. I don't know what if anything she fed it but I do know she changed the water fairly often. We were on a well. I wished I would have paid more attention

 

[Durgan]

1 September 2019 Sweet Potato
Posted on September 1, 2019 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2019/September 2019/1 September 2019 Sweet Potato/HTML/ 1 September 2019 Sweet Potato
There are four plants in the garden and this is the first harvested.The plant yielded 6.5 pounds of quality potatoes. One was steam cooked. The other three plants will be left for about three weeks before harvesting. The slips were from a store bought potato.