Sweet potato side shoots

Guernsey Donkey2

What should we do with the sweet potato shoots that are growing taller and taller by the day?

BobTheGardener

I think the general advice is to not prune them but nip out the tips of any going off in a direction where they'll cause trouble.  Don't let the vines root where they touch the ground though.  I grew them in 2014 in a cheap green polytunnel but didn't get a significant crop - light was quite poor and maybe they didn't like my clay soil.  Might try again next now that I've replaced the poly tunnel with a glass greenhouse.  Old photo:

Others on here have done well with them though.

Guernsey Donkey2

Thanks for your helpful advice Bob, it is always good to learn from other growers experiences.  I will keep twisting them around the bamboo and strings and nip the ends if they become too wild.

Fif2

I don't nip out the tips, but I let them ramble on the ground. I don't normally have a problem with them rooting but I do check them now and then.  I've have some good and some not so good years, but I keep trying.

Guernsey Donkey2

It's all a question of learning as we go along.  Everyone's growing conditions are slightly different, but it is good to hear what others have experienced.