Sweet Potato

[Ginger]

Is sweet potato a perennial? I have fallen in love with these plants this year. That bright glowing yellow is just beautiful!
They are planted all over the Capitol area here in OKC and I just have to have some, but if they are only annuals I may pass.

[Old earth dog]

Annuals here but they look great in a planter. There is also a (almost) black one that looks great in a combo.

[Ginger]

Rats! If they are annual for you in MO they most likely are here too! I saw the black ones, and there is also a kinda purple varigated one. I like the yellow best.

G

[impatience]

They are all annuals, sorry. The lime green is Marguarita (sp?), the black is called Blackie and I don't remember the name of the purple and white one. The lime green is the most vigorous.

They really are beautiful. A couple of years ago I notice that the Civic Center in OKC had tons of them and it was smashing!!

[Ginger]

When there are a bunch planted close close together and the sun hits them just right they literally glow! I gotta have some even if they are annuals ( I really hate to plant every year, but I think they will be worth it). They do seem to last a good long time, if I remember right ,the ones here at the Capitol were still looking good in October and early November.

[Snow]

I also love the chartreuse variety. Unfortunately - I've given up on all of them. Every year I would plant them in my containers, and every year they would be devoured by little goldbugs.

[jody]

I love em too! I have 5 different ones and wouldn't be without them. They are awsome in containers and fill in as a ground cover in a bed wonderfully.

They form "potatoes" that you can dig up in the fall and save to replant the following spring. I've been doing that for the last couple years and it works fine. Just store them like any other "potato", cool (not freezing), dark place.

[Ginger]

Jodi, For real? They make a potato? I thought they were a non bearing type of plant... I will have to check that out his fall! I bought some yesterday and planted them in an old metal wheelbarrow with a few other annuals of some type, don't even remember what they were, they just looked pretty... So do I wait till the leaves start dieing off this fall to dig them up or what?

G

[BillyB]

I believe you can dig up the tubers and save them for next spring to replant. Treat it like a Dahlia.
Billy

[JaneG]

I usually stick them in my combo containers, the bright ones are a great splash of color in an all-foliage container. If you save the tubers, I've seen people root them in a glass of water in the window just like sweet potatoes.

[Tigger]

Yes, they store. Funny thing: the yellow-green ones make reddish tubers, while the purple ones make yellow-white tubers.

Around our place, these things are a "canary in a coal mine" warning system for groundhogs. First thing they devour, every time. Tried Critter Ridder this year with good success, after seeing how quickly a mom and four pups chewed their way through.

[impatience]

I tried this last year and they rotted. Will try to find a drier place. Those tubers are HUGE by fall. The lime green ones look like sweet potatoes and the Blackie tubers are round-and they are really heavy.

I have read that they can be cut with an eye to make each new plant. I think I will just try to get one to survive the winter without rotting before I get fancy.

[Liselotte]

What am I missing? yellow and black sweetpotatoes, Wow! Sweetpotatoes have not been available in Europe until recently. My last batch included one that sprouted within days. I planted it and am getting an interesting vine. What are the flowers like and do they like acid soil?

[whitewater176]

we have just taken cuttings of the vine and over wintered them in a glass of water in the kitchen window

[impatience]

Liselotte, I wonder if we are talking about the same thing? These sweet potatoes would not make good eating, but they are really lovely ornamental vines.

For some reason, my Blackie isn't doing much this year. In fact, I don't think it has grown at all. Usually I have to keep cutting it back so it doesn't run the other plants in the bed. Hummmm?? Wonder what is up?

This one has just gotten going. It really gets big by the end of summer-and this one is in a lot of shade.

[Liselotte]

Thanks Impatience! I am definitely talking about edible sweet potatoes. Since the leaves look like yours, I looked up sweet potato and what did I find? Ipomoea, oh morning glory etc. I never bothered to check what kind of a plant a sweet potatoes really is.
Now, I am looking forward to the flowers!