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Sweet potatoes

micxsamicxsa Posts: 18
in Fruit & veg
Hi all, new to GW and growing veg, my wife fancies having a go at sweet potatoes - in containers or in the ground?, sunny or shade? any advice will be gratefully received 

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,857
    Don't bother.  Very tricky.

    I grew some last year after some I'd bought sprouted.   We have the necessary temperatures and shelter and were able to water but of the 3 planted, one produce a decent crop of tubers which were good for 2 or 3 meals.  One produced nothing and the other was riddled with holes from burrowing slugs/worms/other.  They are a member of the Morning Glory/ipomea family so need protection form frost, plenty of sun, plenty of heat and a support to hold all the climbing foliage above ground or your veg plot will be swamped.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • micxsamicxsa Posts: 18
    Thanks Obelixx, perhaps time to choose another item to grow
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,857
    Definitely.   If you haven't grown veg before, start with something simpler and better suited to the UK climate.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    We did grow sweet potatoes a couple of years ago - in a greenhouse in sack containers.  They were expensive to buy as slips, needed great care, lots of water and what we got at the end was good but not worth all the extra time, water and effort.  @Obelixx is right, there are plenty of easier veg to grow like radish, beetroot, different types of lettuce, beans, potatoes or peas for instance.
  • micxsamicxsa Posts: 18
    Thank you GD2,carrots,peas and onions it is then!
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