Sweet potatoes are a great source of starch and offer many health benefits, particularly for protecting the digestive system.

They can be grown year-round but grow best during February and March. This plant can be cultivated from either vines or tubers. However, the cuttings must be healthy, free from pests and diseases, and not yet rooted or flowering. Therefore, the best method is to propagate sweet potatoes from whole tubers.

Sprouting sweet potatoes is not as simple as planting a seed. Fortunately, there’s a fantastic method to sprout them, which has also been used previously for growing avocado trees.

Preparation:

• 1–2 sweet potatoes (depending on how many you want to grow)

• Regular potting soil (you can mix in fertilizer to help the plants grow better)

• 1 cup of water

• Some bamboo skewers or toothpicks

Note: Choose large, healthy tubers of a tasty variety that are free from pests or rot for sprouting.

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How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

Step 1: Sprouting

Step 1.1: Cut the sweet potato in half.

Step 1.2: Stick the bamboo skewers into each half to act as a support when placing it into the cup.

Step 1.3: Use about 3 skewers per half. Then, place the sweet potato half into the prepared cup of water, ensuring only part of it is submerged.

Step 1.4: After a few weeks in sunlight, the upper half of the sweet potato will start to sprout.

Step 1.5: The submerged part will begin to grow roots.

Step 1.6: Once the sprouts reach about 8–10 cm (3–4 inches), break them off and grow them separately.

Step 1.7: Place the sprouts into another bowl of water to encourage root development.

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Step 2: Planting

Step 2.1: When the sweet potato sprouts begin to develop roots, they are ready to be planted.

Step 2.2: Prepare grow bags with moist soil, or you can use small pots. Place the sprouts in the soil with enough space between them to allow for growth—don’t crowd them.

Step 2.3: Water regularly and ensure they receive plenty of sunlight. The plants will grow evenly.

Step 2.4: Sweet potatoes are soft-stemmed plants that can spread or climb a trellis.

Step 2.5: You can build a trellis as shown in the steps above.

Step 2.6: Place the trellis near the growing bags and guide the vines up the support.

After about one month, the sweet potatoes will begin forming tubers. At this stage, you should add more fertilizer to the grow bags to help the plants develop better and increase productivity. On hot sunny days, be sure to provide shade and water adequately.

Depending on the variety, sweet potatoes typically mature and produce large, high-quality tubers in 3–5 months—ready for harvesting.

Good luck and happy planting! 🌱