Sweet Potato Slips per box?

[myfirstgarden]

I built a box that is 2 feet deep and 14 inches wide for some sweet potato slips I sprouted. I do not have any experience with sweet potatoes and am wondering how many slips should I plant in a box that size? Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know. I've never grown sweet potatoes in a container like that.

The university/extension websites usually recommend you plant sweet potato slips somewhere between 9" to 18" apart in the row, but that is in an open field, not a container. Their roots will go out a lot more than 7" on a side. The vines will run everywhere but the roots are what I'd be concerned about. The vines are going to run everywhere no matter what you do.

Hopefully someone that has tried something similar will speak from experience, but I'd be nervous with them closer than 24". I'd probably go with a 30" spacing between slips om a 14" wide container but that is just a pure guess.

 

[lesa]

I wouldn't put more than two in there...The depth of the soil is what is important to sweet potatoes, since you don't hill them. The leaves will just kind of tumble out of your container.

 

[myfirstgarden]

It's an experiment. I have a community garden I could put some slips in. Do you guys worry about the roots mingling with other vegetables?

 

[catjac1975]

They are supposed to be 18" apart. You can base your slips on that.

 

[myfirstgarden]

Oops I already planted two in the box. Interested to see what will happen. I may have waited to long...

 

[catjac1975]

Sweets take 90-110 days-you can base your harvest on that

Oops I already planted two in the box. Interested to see what will happen. I may have waited to long...