I'm not going to store them in the ground, I'm just going to leave them there for two weeks to cure. Just as if the vines had died back naturally, you would leave them in the ground for a couple of weeks to leet the skins cure so that they will store better, at least that is what I had always understood. The vines are actively growing and from what I have understood, if you just dig them up now as "new potatoes" they souwldn't sotre as well because the skins haven't cured. I finally figured out that the difference between new potatoes and regular potatoes is that "new" ones can be any size, it's just that they came from vines that were still growing and as such there skins are still soft and thin and they are still sweet. Whereas, regular or "storage" potatoes were harvested after the vines died and the skins have cured so they are thicker and the potatoes are not as sweet and creamy. I definitely will be using some as "new" as I did last night, but the majority I will be keeping for storage. I still have another two plants that I started late and I am trying the method of planting a foot down and then continually hilling them within the confines of a chicken wire cage to see if I really can get the plant to keep producing all along the stem. If it works, I will be swimming in potatoes by the end of summer!! Thanks, Kenya

Thank you for the quick response. I originally buried them about 6 inches down, then hilled them with about 3 inches of soil when they were about 8 inches tall. Then I mulched them with about 5 inches of straw when they were about 16 inches tall. They are now about 2 feet tall. I fed them with some slow release organic fertilizer when I planted them, and I also added a lot of compost and some mushroom compost to the soil before planting. Thank you for the info on how to share photos directly on the page.

Hey, has anybody with this plant ever mysteriously gotten "poison ivy" without touching any? This plant has white, sticky, milky LATEX sap in it. That stuff is not confined to Euphorbias and Ficus, and apparently I'm allergic to it no matter what plant it's coming out of. Please save yourself from any unintentional experimentation and wash well after coming in contact with the sap of this plant. Harmless unless you break open a stem or leaf, but if you do, don't touch your face in any way, and wash well, especially if the latex has dried, but I would really try to not wait that long. After almost 3 years of trying to figure out what in the yard is giving me poison ivy periodically even though I know I have NOT touched any, I am 99.9% sure this is the plant giving me this rash. And I thought I'd washed well, and often, since I keep getting this, I've been washing like I have OCD because I didn't know what plant was doing it. In retrospect, I can remember taking cuttings of this a few days before getting this rash many of the times, and thinking that this was one plant I was pretty sure was NOT the culprit. Wrong! It's certainly possible to make sure I don't come in contact with the sap anymore, and will scrub like a surgeon after handling this plant at all, 'cuz I'm miserably scratching my hand again, and this is the last time, unless/until I discover a new allergy. This sucks. Luckily I've got nothing that would make somebody say "ewww" on a google search of "latex dermatitis" images, but even these tiny spots that don't show up well enough to share a pic are making me crazy! Bottom line, at least for me, if I ever see white sap in a plant, I need to go wash thoroughly, no matter what its' name is, or how cozy of friends I think I am with this plant. I would suggest the same to anybody who isn't sure they are NOT allergic to latex sap. Don't let the box of disposable rubber gloves be your guide. I can wear those with no problem.

I have enjoyed all the postings re this remarkable and dazzling plant - but no one has touched on the issue of pests. I am inundated with "holes" on my spv leaves......need to know of a successful treatment for this problem.....Also - I have been very successful "rooting" spv - directly - into small pots of a good potting soil..keep moist...From now on - I will no longer buy a dozen pots for my window boxes....a few to root will do!