Sweet Potatoes! Part 1

Well after a late night of watching Youtube videos of gardening techniques (cause I'm exciting like that), I found a bunch of videos on sweet potatoes. How to grow them, how to use the entire plant and how to make a box in which to grow them. So of course I have to take the challenge and grow them!

So the first thing I need to do is to make a slip. What is a slip you may ask? Well to be honest I had no idea as to what a slip was. I am a potter and to me slip is a mixture of water and clay that is used to join to pieces of clay together. Obviously, that isn't it. So then I searched the internet and managed to find a lot. Because sweet potatoes do not give out seeds, you have to take cuttings and make your own slips. Have you ever had a sweet potato or even a potato start growing a plant on the side? Well that is the beginning if your slip growing. I went to the store and bought some sweet potatoes for eating and one to use for planting.

Step 1: Get all of your items together.

 

Step 2: Cut the sweet potato into 3rds and then add toothpicks so it sits just a little out of the water.

 

 

Step 3: Fill with water and then place outside or on a window sill that gets a lot of sun.

 

 

 Now its just a matter of waiting a few weeks for the slips to start growing. In the meantime I am going to start building my potato bin. I have the wood and the organic compost and the organic soil.

 

Time to get the tools out, then start measuring and cutting. I figured that I will make a box that is 2 feet wide and about 4 feet deep. Since this is going to be my first time trying this, the box is going to be of simple design. No muss, no fuss! Will start making it today and if all goes well I will have pics of the finished product sometime this week. =)