Growing Sweet Potatoes

So I will preface this post by saying we have adverse growing conditions.

To put it mildly. We live in a place literally called Stoney Island, on the very southwest tip of Nova Scotia on Cape Sable Island -a wet, windy, humid, rocky yet breathtakingly beautiful spot of earth (zone 6b for those garden geeks out there).

And did I mention I grew these sweet potatoes in a year that saw us having the biggest wildfire in Nova Scotia history, record rainfall and cloud cover?

Well, now you can see why I am the poster child for “If I can do it, anyone can.” Y’all were very excited for me as well! When I excitedly posted the picture of some of my sweet potato harvest on Social Media last year, you responded with nothing but love and over 500 likes and shares (and yes I do need to charge my battery. constantly.)

So how did I do it ? Let’s go.

Starting slips

Materials needed :

• mason jars
• water
• bamboo skewers
• rooting compound (optional )
• organic seed starting mix
• seed starting pot
• organic whole sweet potatoes

Steps:

1. I bought an organic sweet potato from the local grocery store and cut it in half. If it’s big, you can cut it into thirds or quarters. Just make sure there is a few eyes in each piece.
2. Then I cut the bamboo skewer into thirds and inserted the skewers around the circumference of the potatoes. (You get many slips from one piece so how many pieces you do entirely depends on how much space you have for growing the sweet potatoes outside after. For example, 4 sweet potato halves has given me over 20 plus slips.
3. Filling the jars with water, rest the sweet potatoes on top of the jar with a scant half inch of potato immersed in the water.
4. Set in a sunny spot. and wait. and wait. It can take several weeks to get started.
5. Once the sweet potatoes have started producing slips, you can start snapping them off close to the potato, and then A) either rooting them again in a jar of water, then transplanting them in soil OR b) dipping them in rooting compound and placing in a soil filled container.
6. Allow the original seed in the jars to continue growing more slips.
7. The transplanted slips can then be put under grow lights or in a sunny spot again.
8. Transplant after all risk of frost is over ( for us here in Southwest NS that’s about early-mid June.)
9. Spacing : three foot rows across to hold all the sweet potatoes growth and three feet between rows. Plant 4 inches deep and twelve inches between plants.

NOTES

*I planted these directly in the ground. I use manure compost, and a no dig method of gardening when I can. We are on solid bedrock with sandy soil, which sweet potatoes love apparently. I have built my soil up over the years to allow me about 6-8 inches of good growing depth and good drainage. The plants will benefit from being planted in black plastic to heat up the soil or cloches (I use large clear water bottles for homemade cloches.)

*You could easily do this in a raised bed or a tote pan or a handcase, as long as there is drainage.

*Some people use a soil method for starting slips, I have had no luck with that method. Water has been tried and true for me.

*After you have gotten all the slips off of the sweet potatoes you want, you can put the sweet potato halves in dirt and transplant outside in June for beautiful vines. You won’t get any tubers, just foliage.

*I do not have any idea what variety of sweet potatoes I am growing. I will research this further but for now growing from our organic grocery store variety is working and they taste great, so I am good.

HARVEST

Sweet Potatoes need about 130-150 frost free days. Which is challenging for us here in SW Nova Scotia. We usually get max 120 days. This year I will experiment with using a frost cover for them.

Because we had very adverse conditions last year (even for us) I left the potatoes in the ground a little longer until October. But normally I would let them go until Mid September before harvesting.

Dig up your tubers and either use right away or cure the same way you would a potato (under cover in dry conditions until it puts on a thicker skin, or a few weeks.

I always try to push myself in the garden a bit every year. After 30 years of growing, it’s important to stay fresh, pun intended. Last year, I wanted to push the envelope a bit with fava beans, corn, and sweet potatoes. We grow 80% of our own vegetables we eat on a regular basis on our small farm but corn and sweet potato were two I struggled with getting started…. but I have persevered, dear friends! Sweet potato is not only possible but absolutely going to be one of my key crops going forward on this journey to more food security and wellness.

Love Jenn xx