sweet potatoes in grow bags?

[zeroma]

Knowing that sweet potatoes are a different family than our regular potatoes, can sweets be grown in a large grow bag?

Anyone try it? How do they grow in the soil?

[Stvrob]

Would the bag be on its side? It might actually work. the vines like to ramble, but if you let the vines root all over the place they will drop little potatoes everywhere and not get any big ones. Plus youll never find them all.

[zeroma]

I wasn't thinking of having the grow bag on its side. Our garden had sweet taters last year that spread all over the place, with the vines rooting anew everyplace they touched soil. Some even climbed between and under the raised bed frames! My thought was to grow some in a bag, or tower like structure like a half 55 gal drum cut in half, or a pot from a tree root ball, or a large size 10 gal grow bag.

why would I have the container on its side?

[Stvrob]

So the vines dont pull it over, and so there is more room for the sweet potatoes. Maybe im not sure what a growbag is, im imagining a big burlap sack with a slit on its side, laying down, with the vines growing out of the slit.

[HiPoha]

I have grown sweet potatoes in half 55 gallon drums and they grow well, except in my garden, they'll take over a year to produce good sized potatoes. Sweet potatoes are strong growers and don't need to be hilled like regular potatoes. Soil should be on the loose side with considerable compost. Grow bags should also be OK, I think I've seen them used on Youtube.

[Stvrob]

Originally Posted by HiPoha

I have grown sweet potatoes in half 55 gallon drums and they grow well, except in my garden, they'll take over a year to produce good sized potatoes. Sweet potatoes are strong growers and don't need to be hilled like regular potatoes. Soil should be on the loose side with considerable compost. Grow bags should also be OK, I think I've seen them used on Youtube.

I wonder if its a daylength/tropical thing that is making your sweet potatoes take so long? They take about 120 days or less here at about 30˚ N. If thats the case, maybe there is a variety that does better in the tropics? Sounds like something worth googling.

Edit: HiPoha
Here is an article about growing sweet potatoes in Hawaii. I dont know if it has any info you didnt already know, but It does mention that mainland varieties take to long to mature, and mentions some varieties that are better adapted.
http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/...etpot_prod.htm

[HiPoha]

Stvrob, thanks for the information. I should have mentioned the variety I am planting. It is the Satsuma sweet potato from Japan. I buy it at the grocer and plant the ends. I haven't tried planting the local varieties yet, and I will do so when I have open container spaces. My ground soil in my garden is hard sticky red clay, so I like to plant in containers with better conditioned soils.

[zeroma]

Thanks for some information.

[peppero]

I tried some sweet potatoes last yeat and they seemed to be doing well until...............the resident deer found them. They just LOVE the leaves.

jon

[wmontanez]

I got a Northern Sampler from Sandhill one year and at least one variety did well for me in Zone 6 "Frazier White"
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/...html#varieties

I got better results with an Asian variety called Koimo (pale yellow flesh, reddish purple skin, excellent sweet baked!), this one is semi-bush/early and the sweet potatoes grow straight down in a clump. I imagine this kind will do fine in a 55/gal or grow bag. It roots a bit while spreading around but kept pulling it on a fence at first then later just let it be.

More info on growing sweet potato on Northern areas
http://www.mofga.org/Publications/Ma...1/Default.aspx

[Tracydr]

Anyone have a recommendation for a dry, less sweet white, more like an Irish potato? I like using white sweets to make "steak fries" but my husband isn't fond of sweeter sweet potatoes.

[Stvrob]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

Anyone have a recommendation for a dry, less sweet white, more like an Irish potato? I like using white sweets to make "steak fries" but my husband isn't fond of sweeter sweet potatoes.

You could try O'Henry, its a white mutation of Beauregard.

[4season]

I know its a late post, but just wanted to add. Dug deep for thin sweets for a couple years then had an idea. There was an old concrete pad about 10 by 12 feet in the garden. With sides added and about 1.5 feet of soil/compost the digging is easy and no deep roots. Just take one side off and dig along the concrete base to harvest

[ilex]

Originally Posted by 4season

I know its a late post, but just wanted to add. Dug deep for thin sweets for a couple years then had an idea. There was an old concrete pad about 10 by 12 feet in the garden. With sides added and about 1.5 feet of soil/compost the digging is easy and no deep roots. Just take one side off and dig along the concrete base to harvest

I always try to grow them on thin soil over very hard soil. I've got clay that becomes concrete. that way they are very easy to find. The ideal is probably 8-10 '' of compost over concrete.

I once planted them in the best, deepest soil I had. Huge error.

In some places they are grown in big compost piles.

[zeroma]

Thanks for all your help!