Ask most people about sweet potatoes and they'll tell you they are just like potatoes. Or even worse, they'll call them yams.
The truth is, they're sort of in class of their own in the vegetable garden. To plant them in the garden, you'll need slips, or little transplants, to plant. You can buy them in bundles at some garden centers late in the spring, but they are getting harder to find - plus you usually get more than most small gardens can handle.
Unlike white potatoes which are tubers, you don't cut the potatoes into pieces and plant them. You'll need to start out with transplants. That's where the DIY attitude comes in. You can start your own sweet potato slips. It is a relatively simple process.
You can either start your sweet potato slips indoors or by using a cold frame outdoors. If you are starting them indoors, you'll need a container that can hold a few inches of sand or potting media, yet is wide enough to hold all of your potatoes. I think something like a disposable aluminum roasting pan would work (with holes in the bottom for drainage).
To start, select healthy looking sweet potatoes that are around 1½ inches in diameter. If you grow sweet potatoes and have saved some from last year, those will work great. You may also be able to find some seed sweet potatoes. While it may not be the best, you can also try it out using store-bought sweet potatoes.
Put a few inches of moist sand, vermiculite or very light potting mix in the bottom of the container (or cold frame). Lay the seed potatoes horizontally in the media, making sure not to crowd them too much. Cover with more media until the roots are about 1 inch deep.
Be sure to keep the sand or medium moist to get the best growth. Place the tray in an area that is 75 to 80 degrees during the day. You may need to have a heat source, such as a heating mat, to get it to work.
Once the slips are 4 to 6 inches tall, you can twist them off of the potato. The potato may continue to produce new slips. Before you plant the slips in the garden, you'll want to put them in a glass of water or pot them up for a few days for them to grow roots.
Plant them outside after danger of frost has passed, and you could be eating tasty sweet potatoes by late summer. You may also get some beautiful blooms - sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family, after all. Oh, and this will also work with those ornamental sweet potatoes - dig up the roots at the end of the season before frost and store them during winter. You may be able to start your own next season.
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Urban Agriculture Conference registration is now open. The conference has become a go-to source of education for those interested in self-sufficiency, even on a small scale. The conference will be held on April 30 on the campus of West Virginia State University. The $45 registration fee includes workshops, lunch and a local foods dinner.
Learn about growing food, raising small livestock, homesteading, sustainability and how to get started earning money by growing food. This year's conference will feature West Virginia native and New York Times bestseller Forrest Pritchard, whose book, "Gaining Ground," tells the story of how he became a full-time farmer with an economically sustainable farm that feeds his family and the community. For more information and to register visit urbanagwv.com.
Looking for some gardening inspiration? The Kanawha County Master Gardeners want to help. They're hosting the annual "Spring into Gardening" workshops from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 7 at the Coonskin Park Clubhouse.
The day is filled with inspiring workshops for all types of gardeners. Bryce Lane, who hosts an Emmy-winning public television garden show out of North Carolina will be the keynote speaker and talk about new and exciting garden trends.
Other workshops include yours truly talking about raised bed gardening and about attracting birds and bees to the garden. Lane will also present a workshop on container gardening. It's a great opportunity to learn some new gardening tricks.
Registration is now open. The event costs $10, and you can register online or print a registration form at kanawha.ext.wvu.edu/SpringIntoGardening.
May 7 will be a busy day. The Kanawha County Master Gardeners will also be holding their biennial plant sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Schoenbaum Soccer complex at Coonskin Park.
Come and pick out some plants that master gardeners have started from their own plants at home and from some of the great plants in the display garden at the park. Make a day of it and attend "Spring into Gardening" as well. It's a great way to celebrate Mother's Day (or at least pick mom up a plant for a gift).
n Seed leaf lettuce and collard greens outdoors.
n Apply crabgrass control.
n Fertilize lawn.
n Seed late tomatoes (indoors).
n Bed sweet potatoes for transplanting.
n Start compost pile.
n Plant perennials.
n Loosen mulch around strawberries.
n Remove row covers from strawberries.
n Refresh landscape mulch.
John Porter is the WVU Extension Service agent for agriculture and natural resources in Kanawha County. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter at @WVgardenguru and online at wvgardenguru.com. Contact him at john.porter@mail.wvu.edu or 304-720-9573.