develop sweet potatoes in containers to protect your crop from pest , relieve garden space , and make harvest home a breeze .
Marty Baldwin
Whengrowing root vegetableslike perfumed potatoes , rocky and pitiable garden dirt can stimulate headache for gardeners , and wireworm , vole , and other burrowing pests can deflower your harvest in no clock time matt . However , growing seraphic white potato in containers can carry through garden quad , keep plant pest at bay , and produce a enceinte crop of tooth root veg even if your garden soil is less than idealistic . expend these elementary , measure - by - footmark instruction to establish , grow , and reap your own sweet potatoes in acontainer garden .
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Choosing Containers
container made ofplastic , terra - cotta , ceramic , and stoneare all suitable for growing sweet potatoes . Just make certain your planter are made of food - safe stuff and have plenty of drainage gob to prevent soggy soil .
Fabric grow bags are particularly utilitarian for develop sweet-flavored spud , and specialized Irish potato growing bags are even better . Potato growing dish have openings at the nucleotide that permit gardener to watch on growing root crops without shake up the grime .
As far as container size goes , liberal pots are always better . sugared potatoes will make a large harvest of origin in roomy containers , so choose passel that are at least 20 inch wide by 15 inches deep . A single perfumed potato plant will spring up well in a 10 - gallon container , while 20 - gal containers can accommodate about three sweet white potato vine plant .
Credit:Marty Baldwin
If you ’re on a budget , you’re able to uprise sweet potatoes in big moldable buckets drilled with drain holes or upcycled skirt feed bagful .
Best Sweet Potato Varieties for Containers
sweet-scented potato embed sprawling and broadcast smartly , which can rapidly submerge a small garden . To keep plants manageable , look for bush - type or vineless sweet potato varieties , which rise succinctly and are ideal for container growing . sort like ‘ Vardaman ’ and ‘ Porto Rico ’ are particularly good for grow in pots .
When to Plant Sweet Potatoes in Containers
sweet-flavored potatoes are heat - have a go at it plantsthat do n’t allow cold-blooded conditions . In ardent regions , sweet potatoes can be planted outdoors three to four week after thelast frost date in spring , when nighttime temperature are consistently above 55 ° F . However , if you live in an area with a short grow time of year , starting odoriferous potatoes indoors about six to eight weeks before your last Robert Frost appointment is sound .
How to Plant Sweet Potatoes in Containers
Before you’re able to pop out imbed , you need to get your helping hand on sweet murphy slips , which are the leafy offset from angelical potatoes that finally develop into young plant . Sweet white potato slips are normally purchase from garden marrow , but you cangrow your own fresh potato gaucherie .
Once you have the sweet potato slip , put them in a shallow dish of weewee for a few Day until they develop roots . Plant store - buy slips as presently as possible to fend off droop leave .
Starting Sweet Potatoes Indoors
If you ’re set about angelical Solanum tuberosum indoors in spring :
Starting Sweet Potatoes Outdoors or Transplanting
If you ’re starting gratifying potato slips outside or transplanting :
Sweet potato slips are much better for planting than using market shop sugared tater , which are often treated to keep sprouting and might harbor pests and disease that can taint gardens .
How to Care for Sweet Potatoes in Containers
Unlike standard potatoes , sweet white potato do n’t need hilling , and pest are less likely to disorder container - grow plants . mellifluous potato unremarkably do n’t need to be pruned or trellis as long as you grow them in roomy planters . Just keep in mind that plants grow in flock necessitate more fertilizer and water than sweet tater grown in in - terra firma garden .
Light
perfumed Solanum tuberosum are full - sun plants thatneed at least 6 to 8 hour of verbatim lightto raise properly . gay patio or porch can be fantabulous situation for these sun - loving crop .
Soil and Water
Plant perfumed white potato in a well - debilitate potting mixture , and do n’t be tempted to fill your spring up container with garden soil . Garden soil is too dense for potted plants and can causedrainage issues and root buncombe .
Regular lacrimation is critical for growing intelligent sweet tater , but be careful not to exaggerate it . Sweet potatoes should invite about 1 inch of water per week , although plants should be water less at the end of the season to keep the sweet white potato roots from cracking . A sound dominion of thumb is to water sweet white potato when the top 1 to 2 inches of stain feels dry to the touch modality .
Fertilizer
Like other heavy feeders , sweet murphy require to be fertilise throughout the time of year to ensure a honest harvest . At planting time , give the plants a rise by amending the soil with compost , aged manure , or slow - release plant food . Thenapply organic liquid or granular fertilizersaccording to the education on the fertilizer packaging as the season progresses . In general , liquid fertilizers are applied every two calendar week , while granular plant food are applied monthly .
Harvesting Sweet Potatoes in Containers
odorous Solanum tuberosum are normally harvested in former summer to fall or about 85 to 120 days after plant . However , you may pick edible sweet potato greens slight by fiddling throughout the growing time of year .
Because sweet tater maturate underground , judging whether they ’re ready to reap can be slick . However , if the leaves have begun to yellow and pass back , the base are usually ready .
One great affair about grow sweetened potatoes in flock is that harvesting is super easy . While sweet Solanum tuberosum can be cautiously dig by hired hand , when you keep sweet-scented white potato in containers , you may plunge the intact grow container contents onto a tarpaulin and gather up the fresh potatoes you see . Sweet potato are edible at any size of it , and different plant varieties can grow chicken , orange , or even clean beginning .
After harvesting , cure the sweet potatoes in a warm , dry place for 10 to 14 day to extend their shelf life . Then , stack away the sweet potatoes in your pantry or awell - ventilated root cellaruntil you ’re ready to employ them in your preferred recipe .
