It's a very easy and beautiful vine to grow. Just make sure it is in sun in order to maintain the color (otherwise it will start reverting to green in more shadey conditions). By the middle - end of summer, it'll cascade and spread all around a container - the length depending on how much you fertilize it. ;-)

Not much else to say about them... they do form tubers so you may even want to dig and grow inside for winter. I would give it a normal amount of water and watch for drooping when it gets dry (then you can sortof guage when to water - before it wilts).

Hi Jenny
Well, I'm prepared to fertilize it as much as required to make it grow and grow! From the sound of it I can expect it to dangle down as opposed to clamber up. That sounds good, because I don't have much trailing stuff. I shall put it up on my upper deck where it will get good sun all day; hopefully the drooping can be avoided as my house husband will be around during the day!!!

Thanks
Claire

I've had one going for about 3 years. It's in a pot of geraniums I bring in over the winter. I cut it short last year to try to propagate it from the cutting (didn't work)to have more for other pots. In the past year it has grown about 2 feet. Doesn't spread or branch much, just gets longer. I would like it bushier, but it doesn't seem to respond to pinching. It has a cute little potato partly visible above the dirt, about 2" long by about 1 " wide.

New leaves are green: it takes some sun before they turn burgundy. In my sunny window they have not reverted at all.

If in a very sunny place the leaves will burn and get brown patches. I think the dark color can absorb too much heat.

Hmmm, I don't like the sound of the brown patches, I will have to keep a close eye on it and make sure it's not suffering. I'll bring it down to the more sheltered deck if needs be. I didn't realize it's a perennial, that's great! Thanks for giving me an idea, too, on the size it will reach.
Claire.

It's not really a perennial, it's an annual vegetable. But apparently some will live longer if not killed by frost. I did have 4 when I started with them 3 years ago: only 1 is alive now! 1 was killed by a long dry weekend away, 2 others died sometime over the winter.

Make sure the pot does not dry out. They wilt easily. Mine is on a concrete porch with blazing afternoon sun: anything less roasting than that is probably fine. Most annuals I try in those pots get fried: only geraniums usually survive the summer.

I would buy more if I could find them.

Could you not grow them from seed Linnea? I'm in love with growing stuff from seed - you end up with as many as you want, and it's SO CHEAP!!! You have more than you need, and it's lovely to have that feeling! And you can give loads away too.

But I will perhaps put the plant in a more sheltered spot than I first intended. I don't think it will like my exposed top deck, it can have the more gentle environment of the lower deck.

Cheers
Claire

I've grown them in full sun with no problem - no brown spots, either.

Maybe a combination of factors come into it, watering frequency, breezyness, etc. Though perhaps the sun will give the purpley leaves a bleached out appearance. From that point of view maybe a less harsh sun-spot might be better anyway.

Since it's a potato I don't think I could grow it from seed. I've never seen seed for sweet potatoes. I used to start things from seed. But now I'm self-employed (which means I'm allowed to work 24 hours a day if I want to) and have 2 kids. I'm lucky if I can get the flowers planted before July. I know if I tried seeds now I would forget and let them dry out. That's what happened the last few times I tried.

I'm thinking about trying some tip cuttings: since mine is so long anyway.

About the sun bleaching of the leaves business: I should reiterate that the place I keep them is hot enough to roast potatoes rather than grow them: concrete on 3 sides. I would try them where you really want them: if you see leaf damage them give them a little more shade.

Of course "sweet potato" vine, I wasn't thinking about that element of it, of course! But I see what you mean about the time element, 2 kids AND self employed, I'm impressed you'd manage to get any gardening done at all!

It does sound like you tried your plant in a very very hot spot, hopefully it won't be so hot here. Like you say, I can give it a go and see what happens. That's a big part of the fun with gardenins isn't it?!

I just stumbled on this thread while googling around for info on the sweet potato vine. I think I'm gonna try this:

" Inside, they were once common houseplants grown on kitchen windowsills, the beautiful vines trained up and around window frames.

To help your kids grow their own vine, choose a firm sweet potato. Some are treated with heat to keep them from sprouting on grocery-store shelves, but most grow roots in a matter of days after being placed in water. Using four toothpicks, have your child suspend the vegetable on the rim of a jar or mug filled with water. Make sure the bottom half - the pointed end - is under water. Place in a sunny spot, and change or add water as needed. In a few days, roots will form below the water. And, two to three weeks later, leaves and stems will sprout from the top. Continue to grow the plant in water or, after a month or two, pot the sweet potato in a houseplant potting mix. Keep the soil moist. The stems are weak, so help your child tie them to strings, wire or a stake. Feed once a month with a balanced water-soluble fertilizer such as 20-20-20. As the vine grows, cut it back a few inches to force the plant to grow bushy."

Here is a link that might be useful: Additional details here

I used it in the front of this container. It will require trimming once in a while.

{{gwi:30935}}

I'm stumped. I have all these baby sweet potato sprouts in the planter next to my established vine! They are sprouting like grass. Where are the seeds and how does this happen from a tuberous host plant?????!!!