How to Grow Sweet Potato Draws

Sweet potato draws, or slips, are the rooted cuttings planted in the garden to produce sweet potatoes. It is cheap and simple to grow your own draws in a small space, and the same bed can produce slips for up to 3 years. By growing your own sweet potato draws, you can grow a small number of each variety, instead of having to buy a large bunch of slips from a supplier. Over a three- to four-week period, each sweet potato planted can produce between 12 and 20 draws.

Sweet potatoes
Shovel
Sand
Clippers

Instructions

- 1
  Choose as many sweet potatoes as you will need for your draws. Try to pick potatoes that are approximately the same size, so the sand will be the same depth over all of them.
- 2
  Choose a spot in full sun and dig out a 6-inch deep space for planting the sweet potatoes. Add 2 inches of sand to the bottom of the hole.
- 3
  Place the sweet potatoes on the sand, close together but not touching. Cover with sand, making sure the sand is 2 inches deep on the top.
- 4
  Cover the sprouts with another inch of sand when they appear to make them produce more roots. Cut the sweet potato draws in six to eight weeks, when they are 6 inches tall and well rooted. Allow the roots to keep producing until you have as many slips as you need.

How to Grow a Miniature Eggplant

How to Grow Strawberries in Hanging Containers

Growing Edibles