What's small, brown, kinda round, and should be growing something green in your casa?
A Sweet Potato!
Sweet potatoes can be placed in a glass of water, and will grow beautiful purple and green leaves on a winding vine, all year long!
How awesome is that... and why haven't you tried it yet?!
Growing a sweet potato vine takes very little effort and is a great project for anyone (especially kids).
What you will need to grow a sweet potato vine:
- Sweet Potato of your choice
-Glass Container ( I prefer clear, it's fun to watch the roots grow)
- Toothpicks
Start by selecting a sweet potato from your local grocery store or farmer's market. It doesn't really matter what size, shape, or type you pick, but do keep in mind that if it has little roots hanging off, it will root faster. :)
Once you've selected the sweet potato of your choice, choose a glass container, and grab three or four toothpicks.
See where you need to place the toothpicks by sticking the tapered, more narrow end of the potato into the container.The toothpicks will ensure that only the bottom half (or less) of your potato is submerged in water.
Once you've poked the toothpicks in the potato, fill the glass about 3/4 full of water, plop your tater in, place it near a sunny window and watch!
In about 2-10 days, you will start to see little roots growing into the water.
Once the sweet potato roots, it won't take long before little green nubs will start to push out the from the top! The little nubs will break all the way out and start forming leaves.
The branches can grow to be long tendrils that grow up and around like vines, or the plant may grow more full, and lush sprouts. The leaves will be a beautiful shade of purple as new growth forms and then fade back to a shade of green as they are maturing.
We started our sweet potato vines in late February and they are all healthy and thriving!
I add water to the jars about every other day, and change the water once a week.
My favorite thing about growing sweet potato vines is that they will grow all year! I get sad thinking about my indoor herb garden dying this winter.
But sweet potato vines will provide me with lots of greenery, year round.
Plus, you just can't beat a $0.20 houseplant!
***A Few Tips!****
**When choosing your container, keep in mind that the roots will reach as far down as the container allows.
The amount of space that the roots have, will determine how your sweet potato plant will grow and look.
For example.... If you look at the pictures above, the sweet potato that's planted in the large mason jar grows fuller...more bushy like branches. Whereas the potato planted in the pint sized mason jar grows very viney, with long tendrils and less leaves. The one planted in the twelve ounce glass, is a mixture of both (it's my fav).
**If you've selected a larger potato that measures up to the rim of your container, and will hold itself above the water, still go ahead and poke toothpicks into the potato, right above the rim of the glass.
As time goes on, the potato will shrink. The toothpicks will ensure that it never sinks completely into the water, causing an awful rotten stench. :)
Happy Growing!
-L
A Sweet Potato!
Sweet potatoes can be placed in a glass of water, and will grow beautiful purple and green leaves on a winding vine, all year long!
How awesome is that... and why haven't you tried it yet?!
Growing a sweet potato vine takes very little effort and is a great project for anyone (especially kids).
What you will need to grow a sweet potato vine:
- Sweet Potato of your choice
-Glass Container ( I prefer clear, it's fun to watch the roots grow)
- Toothpicks
Start by selecting a sweet potato from your local grocery store or farmer's market. It doesn't really matter what size, shape, or type you pick, but do keep in mind that if it has little roots hanging off, it will root faster. :)
Once you've selected the sweet potato of your choice, choose a glass container, and grab three or four toothpicks.
See where you need to place the toothpicks by sticking the tapered, more narrow end of the potato into the container.The toothpicks will ensure that only the bottom half (or less) of your potato is submerged in water.
Once you've poked the toothpicks in the potato, fill the glass about 3/4 full of water, plop your tater in, place it near a sunny window and watch!
 |
| Four Ugly little Sweet Potatoes in the windowsill...watch how they transform! :) |
 |
| ROOTS! |
Once the sweet potato roots, it won't take long before little green nubs will start to push out the from the top! The little nubs will break all the way out and start forming leaves.
The branches can grow to be long tendrils that grow up and around like vines, or the plant may grow more full, and lush sprouts. The leaves will be a beautiful shade of purple as new growth forms and then fade back to a shade of green as they are maturing.
We started our sweet potato vines in late February and they are all healthy and thriving!
I add water to the jars about every other day, and change the water once a week.
My favorite thing about growing sweet potato vines is that they will grow all year! I get sad thinking about my indoor herb garden dying this winter.
 |
| Planted in 12 oz. Glass |
 |
| Planted in Pint Size Jar |
Plus, you just can't beat a $0.20 houseplant!
**Scroll down for some quick tips!
 |
| Planted in 32 oz. Jar |
 |
| Sweet Potato Vines on both ends :) |
***A Few Tips!****
**When choosing your container, keep in mind that the roots will reach as far down as the container allows.
The amount of space that the roots have, will determine how your sweet potato plant will grow and look.
For example.... If you look at the pictures above, the sweet potato that's planted in the large mason jar grows fuller...more bushy like branches. Whereas the potato planted in the pint sized mason jar grows very viney, with long tendrils and less leaves. The one planted in the twelve ounce glass, is a mixture of both (it's my fav).
**If you've selected a larger potato that measures up to the rim of your container, and will hold itself above the water, still go ahead and poke toothpicks into the potato, right above the rim of the glass.
As time goes on, the potato will shrink. The toothpicks will ensure that it never sinks completely into the water, causing an awful rotten stench. :)
Happy Growing!
-L
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