Pre-sprouting sweet potatoes in winter on the windowsill

While there is frost and damp outside, you can already lay the groundwork for a generous sweet potato harvest in spring from the comfort of a warm home. With just a few simple steps, the tubers will start to sprout on the windowsill and produce sturdy young plants that can later move into a bed or a container.

Why pre-growing sweet potatoes in winter is worth it

Sweet potatoes dislike cold - and the outdoor season is short

Sweet potatoes do not tolerate low temperatures. In our climate, that makes the true outdoor growing season comparatively brief. If you wait until the soil is warm enough in May, you give up valuable weeks.

"If you pre-sprout sweet potatoes in winter, you begin spring with ready-made young plants and make much better use of the warm season."

Slips instead of planting whole tubers

Rather than putting whole tubers straight into the ground, many experienced gardeners use what are known as “slips”. These are small rooted shoots that grow from a mother tuber. The slips are then planted out as independent plants - much like tomato seedlings.

Choosing the right tuber: what to look for when buying

The foundations for success are laid in the supermarket or organic shop. Not every sweet potato is equally suitable for sprouting.

• Choose healthy tubers: no rotten patches, no bruising, and no shrivelled specimens.
• Preferably organic.

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