Growing Sweet Potatoes in Florida | Answering all YOUR questions
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ย. 2021
- Join me as we learn how to harvest sweet potatoes in Florida! I will take you through the very simple steps - plus answer all YOUR questions on growing sweet potatoes in Florida!
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I grew sweet potatoes in my SW Florida garden zone 9b last summer in grow bags. To my surprise some of the vines that made contact with the mulch grew roots right through the landscape cloth and I ended up getting just as many sweet potatoes under ground as I got in my 4 grow bags. I had over 20 lbs of sweet potatoes. I put them in a few big bowls on my kitchen table and began eating them right away. They were very sweet and over time they got even better tasting. Me and my husband never even finished eating them all so I used the left over potatoes to grow my slips for the sweet potatoes I'm growing right now. It's good to know that they grow year round here zone 9b.
I'm in 9b too. I haven't grown much besides garlic and green onions (apartment life), but now we have a fenced patio, and I bought some seeds!
I live in South Florida and harvested my first crop this morning. I'm new to gardening and noticed roots had grown through the bags. I was disappointed at the yield because I expected more. Now I'm wondering if I have potatoes in the ground also
As a gardener and Publix employee I loved hearing you talk about Publix haha
😂😂 “the normal Publix” convo had me rolling!
We've grown purple sweet potatoes off and on for last six years. They grow fantastically in our yard and taste so good!!!
Saw a guy pull a Wild Yam plant around Tampa and it had about 20 big potatoes on the roots. It looked a giant Peanut Plant roots, it had so many on it. The plant may die in a cold snap, but it will grow for years, like a perennial. Harvest what you need and and replant the main plant with a couple of potatoes still on it. It's the gift that keeps on giving. 😊👍
Following your lead, I've got orange and white sweet potatoes growing in my garden now. Thanks for all your videos!! Merritt Island, Florida
Sweet potato greens are awesome in omelettes, or throw them in with a stew or soup, or just saute them with some olive oil and garlic. I agree that they are similar to spinach but I don’t particularly love them raw.
Glad you said the potatoes leaves are good bur not raw. Yuk I had tried it that way. I will try to cook them next time.
@@renebrown995 Yes, need to cook them. 🤣 Enjoy!
Blanching the greens and dipping ‘em in sour, spicy feen😢fish sauce is bomb… 💯
This is the second video of yours I see. I had planted normal sweet potatoes. I saw your video. I dug em back up. Went today to the store after work, and bought ORGANIC sweet potatoes. As You said. 😁👍👍👍👍👍👍I'm letting them sprout a little, and they are going in the ground .
Need a video on growing slips from sweet potatoes please.
She is so cool ..such goals. This channel just gets better an better 🙏🏼
Awwww 🥰 You are so sweet!
Your videos are AWESOME. I started watching back when we were up north, and now that we are permanently down here in SW Florida, they are even better! Thank you so much - so helpful and fun!!!!!
Oh wow! That is high praise Steven!
I hope to have a nice little gardening couple situation going on one day ❤️. So cute.
I hope so too!
I’m in year 3 of trying to grow food down here in 10a, definitely a learning curve like you mentioned especially in comparison to northern folk.
eliee 10a is where I am. Calcium rich soils because of an abundance of sea shells (calcium carbonate.)
Lots of compost, and sulfur(pelleted it takes 2- 8 lbs bags for a 1000 square foot garden spot) have to correct the Ph that generally runs about 11.5. Once you do that it is mostly irrigation and occasional fertilizer.
@@joeyl.rowland4153 thanks for the info
Free calendar? Glad I stayed til the very end! I’m in Gainesville and have enjoyed your channel on occasion for a long time! I love this carpet method… you said you just roll it back out and cover it with mulch right? So simple, so effective I love it. As far as eating the leaves and varieties go, if you’re looking for better spinachey leaves I have seen some varieties here grown just for leaves! Varieties from SE Asia are used in different dishes specifically for the leaves
Awesome! I didn't know! I'll have to go investigate. Thank you!
Thanks for the tips on skipping the slips. I will definitely skip that step next time. I like the idea of rolling the leaves like a carpet too! Thanks for all your tips and tricks. I really love your channel.
In Puerto Rico we call the orange potato Batata Mameya (from the mamey fruit) and the white one just batata 🍠
Very cool!
I grew a variety called Tainung 64 that ironically hated full sun. It was a shock for me because i have always known them to love full sun. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Sprouts has a great variety of organic sweet potatoes
Good to know!
Can't use all your greens? Blend as many as you can with some water and put the slurry into ice trays to freeze it. Great to pop into smoothies, and easy to store in the freezer.
That is a clever idea!
I love growing sweet potatoes. I filled a 4’x12’ bed with just 6 sweet potato slips from Lowe’s or Home Depot and they spread to fill
the entire bed. We ate so many of the greens! But we have rabbits in our yard and the only reason it worked is because I have rabbit fencing around my raised beds. This year, I tried growing slips in 5 gallon buckets and it’s working and the rabbits can only reach some of the leaves but the potatoes are still growing. Meanwhile, I tried to grow some in a bed without fencing and the rabbits would eat the greens to the ground and never let them grow. 🤣. Do you not have rabbits in your area?
I'll be harvesting ours the end of January. I will be replanting immediately. I start slips everytime I harvest. I harvest between 100-125 days.
I regrow the nasty leftovers from store potatoes and I live in Pasco Florida and I usually grow them year round
I am so glad I found your channel! Thanks for these sweet potato tips! I am very new to gardening. Here outside of Tampa, it is a task trying to grow some things.
I am now going to get some white sweet potatoes and grow those instead of potatoes! Thanks a bunch! 😁
So glad to hear we don't need to start the sweet potatoes by slips! such a PITA to wait for so long.
Thank you for the information!
You bet!
Sure wish I had the space to do sweet potatoes. My balcony will be over flowing with yucca plants, purple hearts and prickly pear cactus. But what space I have left will be for my Grand Nain... You said it best, today you didn't see your banana flower then bamm it is there. My Nain is growing a new leaf every week. Had cut off 4 leaves since early April. Now have 6 leaves and waiting til get 8 leaves to cut 3 off and use for mulch... Great video, very informative. Thank you !!!
Hello there. First time here in your channel 😅. Im in zone 10 . This will be my first time growing sweet potatoes. Thanks so much dor all rhia info👍
Thank you. Very helpful
This video helped me a lot! Thank you
Kathy Florida homestead
Wow, I must have gotten lucky, slips were super easy for me (zone 10a).
I cut vine slips with one leaf, about a 2" to 3" length and stick them in the ground. My first batch got eaten overnight by wabbits, but they just grew back. Water in well, keep moist for a week and they take off like crazy.
I have one growing out of an oak tree base next to a fern 😂 There's no soil, but it's stayed alive for a couple of years now 😅
Still learning the curing process 🤞🏼
All mine grew to like French fry size. I’m gonna try again this week. I use containers. What do you recommend for soil and fertilizer? Thank you
i think the sweet potato patch might be my favorite 🥰
Oh yay!!!!
Subscribed. Yhank you guys for the useful info.I just wanted to let your viewers know that unlike regular potatoes in that if they poke through soil and turn green at the top you can still eat them. I feed the leaves to my tilapia in my small aquaponics farm in our back yard. I didn't know about the white variety and will be looking for them at the Sprouts that we have down the street from us.
I have a question. I too live in Florida and have tried to grow sweet potatoes for several years now. I get lots of sweet potatoes but they are almost always very small. I think its because of the sand being so heavy maybe? I have added compost. Any thoughts or recommendations on how to remedy this? Thank-you so much
Is right now a good time to put some slips in the ground?
Hi, I'm in zone 10a and I'm so glad I found your videos. I bought 3 varieties of organic sweet potatoes from our farmer's market and I planted them horizontaly, with organic soil half way up the sides of the potatoes. Leaving 1/2 of the potato exposed above the soil.
1. Is this the correct way to start the slips to grow?
2. How often should I water them at this point?
3. How long before they will grow slips?
4. How do I devide out each slip to plant for the individual potato plants?
Thank you for your help with this.
I actually plant the potatoes deeper. About 6 inches deep. I water mine twice a week until rainy season and then I stop. I don’t do slips. I just plant the potatoes. The vines will grow the potatos. Slips is a northern way of doing it because they have short season. The vine will reroot all over the bed. Just take part of the vibes and add soil on top. The nodes develop roots.
I'm in zone 9a (north central Florida) . I find room temp. will give the consistent temp environment during the fall and winter seasons. I happen to have a spacious area under the bathroom sink that provides dark and humid environment for curing. Stacking them in single layers has advantages.
Fall and Winter mos do fluctuate a lot. Daytime and nighttime temp is another challenge.
So cute you guys! 🥰😍
Awww! Thanks Heather!
You two are so great together!! Love your channel. Getting ready to do a fall garden. I had a rat in my garden room easy to get into and it was feasting on my veggie seeds. And than it ate a whole into a outside closet. Anyway I think I have secured the closet which goes into my house. But I’ve seen droppings. I’ve been using ammonia and chlorine to keep it away. Have not seen droppings in closet.
I’m so skeptical now about doing a garden in the ground . I noticed you have raised beds and mulch. What mulch do you use? Also your sweet potato is in the ground, but you haven’t had any rats or rabbits? I noticed you have palms and the rats live in the palm trees. I don’t have palms near my house but there are palms not so far away. We have a ton of rabbits and now I know there are rats. Which freaks me out. I’m all organic. I find it difficult here to grow anything veggie wise. I did get green beans and broccoli was huge but no flowers but the leaves were good. I had 2 different kinds of kale. I do watch another guy who lives in the south and he grows so much food, but he says he does use some pesticides some of the time . I won’t use anything harmful to me or the environment or food. I also have a lot of grass and weeds but I think it was because I rototilled and raked last year. 1st time. I’m trying to kill the grass and weeds no sun or water. And I’m going to rake and pull it out. But I honestly think I’m going to only do the kale and green beans and arugula. Spinach didn’t do anything. Or I’m only going to put a few things in the ground and do mulch and 3 raised beds. You have an incredible beautiful garden and property. Please tell me what you think. I’m so scared of the rodents now. And I have chicken wire which I had no rabbits but if there are rats around they can get in probably. I think that’s why no one has bird feeders out.
Have you tried growing the purple ones they have at Trader Joes every now and then?
Thank you !
You're welcome!
Have you ever tried to grow the white ones and the red together? I am going to plant them in a container and I thought about just doing one of each in a container because it is just me and I do not want to be overrun as I don’t have the storage for a lot.
Thank you.
Thanks for sharing! How many months until you typically harvest? Anxiously waiting to harvest my first bunch!
Love you Guys! I have a 1 foot trench of soil around my patio. Could I plant my slips there so they could climb the fence? I’m in zone 10a..
Love this video. You were probably thinking of Publix Greenwise
Ok! Thank you Juan! I'm not crazy... I'll let Ben know that you figured out what was in my head. And I'm glad you love the video!
I only live in Florida 1/2 the year, maybe October/Nov through March/April. Can I use the sweet potatoes as a cover crop? Something to leave in the garden bed so it protects and re-nourishes it? If not what would you recommend. No one will be around to tend it. Just thought it would be better than covering with mulch and leaving it through the summer months
Excellent video and thanks so much for answering my questions! I just moved into a house in 9b and the previous owners left a bed of sweet potatoes in the garden. We harvested them but many of the leaves were yellow or sick so we took the plants out. I did keep some healthy ones and cut slips that I’ve got in a jar of water. Think it’s okay to put them back in the ground or wait and keep them in water until it’s warmer and will they even survive that long!? I’m curing mine in the lanai and we don’t have a garage so I hope it’s not too cold for that. I guess I’ll find out when I try them but I won’t be too sad because they were basically a bonus that came with the house. How many pounds did you end up getting?
Hi hi JoAnne! What an amazing gift with your house! Yes you can put the slips back in the ground if you do it this week. With curing them on your patio, make sure they are in a dark place (inside a bucket in a shady spot) or you can cure them in the back of a cabinet in the house. I usually get so many, I don't have the space inside.
Chickens love the greens too!
Would you please show your curing/storage set up? Thanks!!!
She’s right there is a greenwise publix with organic food only
Hurray for Chef Ben!
Yay for Samelita! Chef Ben is the best!
How do you prep your soil in advanced and what type of soil do they like😊 thank you.
Excellent video! What type of mulch were you using in that sweet potato patch? 💚
I get my mulch from getchipdrop.com. They have delivered pine, oak, and sycamore.
Once you roll it up like a carpet will do you store it and when do you bring it back out ? I'm in central Florida. Oh and what kind of mulch do you put down ?
What else does Ben put in smoothies with sweet potato leaves?
Been inSW FL for 1 year and grew sweet potatoes at your recommendation! Ate the leaves in salads and cooked greens. Got quite a lot! Thanks so much for all of the info! You have helped my transition so much!
Two bananas (from the garden)
1 cup mulberries (from the garden)
1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed
1/4 cup almond/soy milk unsweetened
Handful of baby spinach leaves or 1/2 handful of baby sweet potato leaves
1 1/2 cup of lots of pulp orange juice Tropicana
I'm so happy Jan! This really warms my heart to hear that I could help you.
@@WildFloridian thanks! I am excited to one day be able to get these things from my yard also. My banana tree has almost 50 bananas and my ever bearing mulberry is growing but I have only gotten a few berries from it so far. I am also growing longevity spinach, Sissoo spinach or Brazilian spinach. Just found the white sweet potatoes at Earth’s Origins and ready to try those!
here in tampa bay do you find that sweet potatoes do better in partial shade in the summer? Or sun is so strong!
If I have 5 bags I grew of 2 to 4 slips in each bag, can I just harvest the potatoes and then cut off the vines and leaves or leave them and they will grow again next year? I'm moving to zone 10A from zone 8 or 9
Enjoyed the video thank you
You guys make such a cute couple
Thanks so much! 😊
I enjoy your videos thanks for sharing.I live in Tampa Bay are and use the same method wood chips and just went to my natural market and got 4 types of organic sweet potato and planted them after harvest they keep coming back I just add some pieces of the vines after harvest and that’s my next crop lol easy as that . They’re sweet as candy 🍭. Do you cure yours in the garage in the winter too? We’re having some cool nights now. Happy thanksgiving 🦃
Karla - thank you for letting others know how easy it can be! I do let them cure in the garage. It may take them longer but I haven't seen any issues.
I saute the leaves and it's delicious
My sweet potato is from some random orange potato someone gave me. 🤣. It's loving the heat and intense sun so far.
Do you perform crop rotation?
Hi! Can I plant sweet potatoes now (mid July) in 9b?
This is perfect timing! I watched your last video on sweet potatoes and I got a couple organic ones sprouting in a dish of water by the window. I was thinking there must be more to know than just "throw it on the ground and say 'grow'" (which my kids thought was hilarious, btw!). I guess I should plant them in a pot inside for now and stick them in the ground in a few months, right?
Hi Esther! Depending where you live... you might put them in the ground now. I would feel good about it in zone 10a, 10b or 11. If you ware in zone 9... I think there is risk but it may be ok. If you are zone 8, I would hold off putting them into the ground until we get past the worst of the cold days in January and early February. But I'm super excited for you!
@@WildFloridian thank you so much! I just learned I'm in zone 9b, so maybe I'll take a chance and try. Or do one of each, since I have 2 potatoes 😀
How do you keep it under control? I planted one and it has taken over almost a third of the backyard, I don't want to kill them but I need the space
I am so glad I found you. I live in WPB and I was curious how much drainage do SP need?
As long as it isn't a low spot... with the Florida sandy soil mixed in, it grows with 2x a week watering/rain. If it was in a pot the soil is damp to slightly dry on top.
@@WildFloridian thank you. It will be in a large deep container. I will need to drill holes in it tho.
What about water in the dry season, do these need to be irrigated? I’m in Ocala.
Is there any benefit to trim the ends of the sweet potatoes to reduce the length of growth or would it reduce the harvest please?
I am in zone 10 a and planted sweet potato slips end of august when can I expect to be able to harvest them? And can you expand in how to cure them?
Since these are going through the cold months. I would start looking for sweet potatoes at end the end of February after it gets warm. They may be ready in February to March. On curing, I literally stick them in a bucket with the dirt on (not washed) in a dark space in my garage. That's it. You want them to be in warm, humid and dark for curing.
What do you use for mulch?
Wow- yea on ditching the slips! I had some grow from those I “missed” from last year’s harvest, so I will just add more mulch for the next round! Thanks!
Yay! I'm so glad I could help. You're sweet potato growing will be way easier! Thanks for asking the question!
Do you put the mulch on top of the sweet potatoes?
Hi! Great info...thank you! What type of mulch do you use when you start your sweet potatoes?
I was wondering the same thing. Would compacted leaves work? Neighbors tree sheds like crazy.
I was just wondering if you can show the process of rolling up etc. have ever considered doing time lapse?
I just planted 2 slips ....will they grow ok from now till January...??
Your sweet potatoes looks like they are really sweet if bake.
Great video :-) I'll be adding this to a list for future reference when I finally move to my place next year. Where have you been hiding Ben?
Thank you Christopher! I hide him in the kitchen :D He does pop up from time to time to help me with the big projects.
Do you compost the vines?
Thanks so much for this awesome video:) I am growing Japanese Sweet potatoes in my front yard in South Florida. I planted hundreds of them about 6 months ago and just harvested a bunch but I still have tons of them that are ready to be harvested but I dont have anywhere to put them. . (They were delicious right out of the ground without curing) Do you know how long I can leave them in the ground before they go bad?
You could harvest to give away, especially since yours don’t need to be cured! Neighbors, old age homes, churches and other places that have soup kitchens would all be happy for donations
What kind of mulch do you use on your sweet potatoes?
I'm in zone 9b/10a, the soil is very sandy. Will I need to fortify the soil, and what type of mulch do I use?
I use getchipdrop.com for my mulch and it has been a range of oak, pine and sycamore. Make sure the mulch isn't dyed and isn't just tree bark, you want branches, stem, trunk, leaves... the whole thing.
I've got my first batch of sweet potatoes growing now. So exciting!! We love your channel and refer to your videos often. We are in Cocoa Beach area. ❤
That is awesome! 👏 🙌
👍great channel
I live in Florida and want to try growing sweet potatoes. Can you please tell me what kind of mulch you used? Thank you!
I used mulch from getchipdrop.com 😄 It has been Pine, Oak and Sycamore.
There is a "Green" Publix! You're not crazy lol. It's called Greenwise and they have separate stores.
Love your videos and really appreciate your time making them. While you were rolling the vines, 1st thought was where's the fire ants? Do you have a good way of getting rid of them?
You know what, Stacy... I haven't seen Fire Ants in St. Pete. I'm not saying they aren't here... I just don't see them. I don't see them in my neighbors yards. I don't see them as I walk to the store. Growing up definetly had them in our yard down in Broward. So I don't have any new tips. You can use boiling water or spot treat. Best of luck!
@@WildFloridian 😊 thanks. Glad you don't have to deal with their nuisance!
New to WF. Love your content. Mulch Mulch Mulch... Which kind, and where do you get it. FYI: I'm just outside of Orlando.
how many potatoes (avg) will grow from each organic potato that is planted?
WILD FLORIDIAN ... I see you grow your sweet potatoes in your front yard ... which is what I would like to do as well since that is where the sun is in my yard, the back is pretty shaded (plus our drain field goes toward back yard) ... HOWEVER ... I am super concerned about them going wild and spreading toward underground utilities near perimeter of yard. Can they be contained by pulling up any vines creeping where I don't want them to go? Or is that wishful thinking? Or should I opt for a raised bed and "try" to keep them contained? I'm also central FL (9b) as well and this will be my first go at sweet potatoes. I have been sheet mulching entire yard, so I'm confident they will def do well. Thank you! :)
Planted my slips at least 3 months ago. Growing great! But the wait is killing me
Can sweet potatoes be grow to large size in container?
put the mulch on now in the fall, or in the spring?
You can do either.
We have a farmer that plants in May leaves goes to Maine comes back in october harvests and. Sells in the end of October.he.s located in Daytona. He.s also on TH-cam First name is Jim.also your young leaves sauteed in butter and garlic taste better than fresh spinach
I love watching Jim Kovaleski! I think it is amazing how he is farming in a neighborhood. Such an inspiration! Grow food, not lawns! 😃
I live in North Central Florida and have a very happy sweet potato patch taking over my side yard. (I grew from grocery store potatoes, purple maybe.) Anyway, our first frost is coming up pretty soon if the almanac is correct and these are in a raised bed. I'm starting to see some yellowing and am wondering when I should harvest. I did harvest a smaller bed and all I got was 1 really nice potato and a lot of small, thin bits. Can I save these for the next volley?
I also wonder what is the best way to cure them. I don't have a garage anymore but a room that's under central a/c. Will they cure ok in there?
Thank you so much. I apologize for more than one question. Happy Thanksgiving.
I just wanted to say thank you for your live video!😍👍 Loved it and learned a lot from it. Maybe next summer I'll finally put on my big girl pants and grow sweet potatoes! I'm intimidated by them 😬
Thanks again for your hard work and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family🦃🥧🍁🍂
Hey mikimayagain! If most leaves are alive (even if many have yellow) you can let them keep growing. As we get days in below 60s, I would consider if you should pull them... maybe do a test a pull many and leave one small section and see if they can make it through the winter. The little bits you can save for next year after the cold days and start your next sweet potato patch. You can cure them in a dark cabinet in the house. Happy Thanksgiving!
@Maria P. You are so welcome Maria! Yes, put your big girl pants on! You'll be amazed how easy they are. And if it doesn't go well... you'll have learned and can try again. Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for all your comments. I really do appreciate all of the questions you've asked.
use leaves in place of lettuce in salads or sandwiches.
Don't feel bad, he's actually wrong, there is a fancy version of Publix now that reminds you a lot of Whole Foods or Sprouts, they called Greenwise after their organic product line, however the produce is practically identical, in Lakeland they are literally across the street from each other and I've noticed the produce is not just the same selection but the same pricing.
LOL! 😂 Thank you!
I am trying to grow them in partial sun, the leaves are growing.
Hmm, dehydrate and powder the leaves 🤔
Thanks for the video! Did you plant the potatoes in the mulch or under the mulch, into the soil?
The original sweet potatoes I just put under the mulch and on top of the soil. Super easy!