Growing Sweet Potatoes in Tubs?

[jojo54]

The only bug I had a problem with last summer on my sweet potatos was the golden tortoise beetle (had never heard of it before). Very striking little bug! You can't miss him/her. I just hand picked and that was somewhat sporadic. Last season was the first for me at trying to grow sweet potatos, but it was very easy. A bit of out of sight out of mind 'though. I saved some fingerlings that I want to plant this year and pay them a bit more attention. As jojo54 said, they grow quite deep. I had mine in about 18" of soil and compost lasagna bed...I think that could easily be doubled and maybe produce a bit better.

The only pest we had was wire worms but they bother alot of things. Hopefully between the chcikens and the cold weather with a deep ground freeze, they will be gone or at least reduced.

 

[curly_kate]

I did not have a single pest bother my sweet potatoes, but I'm in a pretty different zone that you, Wifezilla.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The only pest I've had with sweet potatoes has been deer. They singled out my sweet potato vines above corn and everything else. Two nights after cutting a bar of Irish Spring into chunks and scattering it on the ground around and among the vines, they came back and did a lot more damage. Between the deer and my wet late summer and fall, my sweet potatoes were not close to impressive. Usually they are very easy to grow.

 

[ducks4you]

wifezilla, sorry I didn't remember this: My eldest DD--the only one living away from home-left a sweet potato on her counter, and that sucker sprouted for at least 1/2 a year without any soil. She lives in a basement apartment, and it was in her no-window kitchen.
This was a grocery store fruit. I'm sure that with a little care you could get a great crop. In fact you've got me thinking about how and where to grow them. It's funny that you can love a particular vegetable and then forget to get them into your garden. duh...