Can sweet potatoes be transplanted

[Gardening with Rabbits]

In the other topic Bye Bye Raspberries, I explained about the fence and I am not going to have west sun on the sweet potatoes after next week. Could I dig them up and transplant them? They were planted the first week in June.

 

[baymule]

Sweet potatoes are unbelievably tough. What else can you take a cutting of, stick in the ground, give it a little water and have it take root, take off and reward you with ###### pounds of produce? I haven't transplanted any in the situation you describe, but I say go for it. As a hedge bet, take some cuttings, stick them in a jar or jars of water so they can root and plant them too.

 

[lesa]

Are they already full of leaves? Flowers? If so, I would leave them right where they are. I think you are going to be surprised how tough your plants are!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I tend to agree with Lesa. This late in the season, Id leave them alone.

I can never remember where you are so Im not sure how much season is left for you, but early on they are establishing a root system, then they grow like crazy. Sweet potatoes have a fairly long growing season and like warm weather. They are tough as nails but Id really be concerned they would run out of season.

 

[baymule]

OK, two votes for leaving them where they are. So, take cuttings and root them and plant them where you think they would be happier. Them you have two shots at making sweet 'taters!

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

They need 90 days or more. They have leaves. I can get frost by the end of Sept. I put them in a box on the west fence. I have noticed the north part of the box the plants are smaller and they get blocked from sun by our house and the house next door, so I am worried if a fence comes next week and blocks the whole west sun that they will stop growing. I would not know even how far down to dig to transplant them. I transplant volunteer potatoes.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I didn't move them and I think it was a bad place because they were not getting watered when the garden did, so sometimes they were neglected. We dug them yesterday and have a bowl of them. Some are regular size, very few and a bunch of little bitty things. I made oven fries last night with some of the small ones and they were so good. Next year, I will plant a row of them in the garden.

 

[baymule]

Just know and understand that sweet potatoes, or at least mine did, vine like crazy and will spread out all over the place. A Chinese friend of mine said the sweet potato leaves are good stir fried. Might have to try that before I dig mine.