Tips for growing potato and sweet potato varieties in a pot | Gardening 101 | Gardening Australia

Costa plants up both potato and sweet potato varieties, to test which type will go best in pots, and pass the taste test. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are versatile ingredients and easy to grow with the right care and plenty of sunshine. Whilst they have different growing requirements they can both be planted in spring, enjoy full sun, and are great for containers.
Large containers, such as 85L plastic pots with lots of holes, are a great choice for both crops. Growing in pots also makes it easier to rotate crops and you can move them into the sunshine.
Whilst they are both similar starchy tubers they are not even in the same family! Potatoes are from the Solanaceae family of nightshades that includes eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes. Sweet potatoes are in the Convolvulaceae family, related to plants like morning glory and water spinach.

Potatoes:
Grow potatoes from certified seed potatoes rather than store-bought spuds, to avoid pests and diseases. There are three broad categories of potato types, and Costa is planting one of each:

– Waxy: Kipflers are fast growing and great for roasting
– Floury: Dutch Cream are large, buttery, and perfect for mash
– All-rounders: Sebagos are suitable for most dishes

Growing steps:
1. Add a 10cm base layer of 50/50 compost and premium potting mix to a large container.

2. Sit potatoes on top. Do not overcrowd – 3 potatoes are enough for an 85L pot.

3. Cover with another 10cm layer of the potting mix and compost mixture.

4. Feed with a handful of blood and bone at planting and every few weeks after.

5. Water well and don’t let the soil completely dry out. At the beginning, the shallow layers can dry out quite quickly.

6. New potatoes will form below the shoots, so keep adding layers of potting mix and compost as the shoots grow above the soil. Eventually, there will be lots of layers of spuds throughout the pot.

7. Harvest time depends on the cultivar but is generally 3-5 months. When the leaves start turning yellow and dropping off it’s a sign they are ready.

Sweet potatoes:
Sweet potatoes are better grown from an established cutting called a ‘slip’. These can be purchased from a nursery, or simply take a long cutting from an existing plant. You can also keep a harvested sweet potato from a previous crop and sit it in water or potting mix. It will send out shoots that you can cut off and grow a new plant from. We don’t recommend growing from a store-bought potato as these can harbour pests and diseases or simply not grow well.

Growing steps:
1. Fill a large pot with premium potting mix and compost. Sweet potato roots are sprawling, so the container should be wide as well as deep.

2. Plant 2-3 slips or seedlings into the pot. Costa is testing two different types – the common orange kumara and a ‘Hawaiian’ purple cultivar.

3. Add a handful of blood and bone now and then once a month or so.

4. Water deeply and regularly, especially in hot summer weather.

5. Add mulch to help keep the soil moist and deter weevils.

Pop in a warm, sunny spot and wait 4-6 months to harvest, depending on the cultivar. An added bonus is the prolific sweet potato leaves which are a tasty addition to salads and stir-fries! Unlike potato leaves which are poisonous.

Just a little upkeep over the next few months will provide a bounty of tasty spuds!

Featured Plants:
POTATO ‘KIPFLER’ – Solanum tuberosum cv.
POTATO ‘DUTCH CREAM’ – Solanum tuberosum cv.
POTATO ‘SEBAGO’ – Solanum tuberosum cv.
SWEET POTATO – Ipomoea batatas cv.

Filmed on Gadigal & Wangal Country & Newtown, NSW
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