Ever since the sweet potato began conquering Germany's gardens and kitchens, it has enjoyed great popularity. Since the plant is an annual, many gardeners try to grow it themselves in order to enjoy the beautiful appearance of the plant next year. The most proven method is to germinate cuttings or a tuber. But can you actually grow sweet potatoes from seed? Find out the answer here.

The sweet potato forms flowers and seeds

Characteristics of Sweet Potato Seeds

  • one or two seeds per fruit
  • around
  • colored black
  • about 3mm long
  • glabrous
  • very hard shell
  • hardly permeable to water or oxygen
  • rarely germinate

Grow sweet potato from seed

While it's not common, as the chances of success are very slim, you can still grow a sweet potato from seed. You can obtain the seeds required for this, for example in specialist shops or on the Internet.

Patience is required

Because of the hard, very impermeable shell of the seed, hardly any water or oxygen can get inside, germination occurs very slowly or not at all. For this reason, this method often spoils the desire of hobby gardeners in particular to grow their own. It is much easier to germinate cuttings or a tuber. However, raising seeds has a decisive advantage: it is difficult to draw conclusions about the variety from cuttings from the tree nursery or a tuber from the supermarket. When cultivating a sweet potato, however, it plays an important role. Some species should be in semi-shade and not in the blazing sun, others only bring little harvest. When buying sweet potato seeds, the variety is usually indicated on the package.

The right time

In order for the sweet potato to quickly get used to the outdoor weather conditions after it has been planted in the bed, it should have grown a bit. It is therefore advisable to start cultivating in January, although the batata is not allowed outside until mid-May.

Step by step guide

  1. fill a pot with conventional potting soil
  2. put the seeds in about 2.5 cm deep
  3. when the shoots have reached a length of 10-15 cm, transplant them into a larger box
  4. place the box in a bright location
  5. in May put your seed potatoes outside

Category:

Vegetable garden