I have a tuber of unknown variety, in water, on my windowsill. It was making roots but no slips growing. I threatened to cook it, and now it has several slips! I'm SO influential! I hope to grow them in a container to provide extra heat for the roots.

I've grown sweet potatoes a couple of times. I get firm healthy potatoes from the grocery store so I have no idea what variety they are but they work for me. I leave them on the table or a shelf where they get a bit of light and warmth. They soon sprout and when the sprouts are a couple inches long I cut up the potato into pieces each with a sprout on it, let it dry for a couple days then plant them in pots, usually by mid April. When the danger of frost is past, late May for my area, they get hardened off and planted into large tree pots. The black ones have worked best for me. I use a good potting soil mixed with well rotted manure (bagged) and keep them moist for the summer. After the frost has got them in the fall I harvest the tubers. I have had some a good foot long and 3 - 4 inch diameter. I'd grow them every year but they take up a lot of space, the vines can get to 8 feet long. I garden in southern Ontario in a zone 5b area.

That's exciting! Can you estimate the production per vine? How long is your usual frost free growing season?

Well, I put my sweet potatoe into the water, and it sprouted, I took off a couple of the longer sprouts and put them in water, and in two days they were starting to root! I'm so excited. It was just too easy. This was a Centenial that I saved from last year's crop. I have ordered some anyway, not knowing if this would work, so I should have lots of sweet potatoes this fall. Now if they live when I trasplant them is the next hurdle, but I'm thinking they are pretty hardy. I'm guessing I'll need to harden them off, as they are pretty pale being in the house.

I like sprouting in water. Have had great success with that. You should have little problem transplanting them, but I would think hardening them off would be a good idea up in your neck of the woods. It's a lot cooler there than here where I am.

I went out to water my garden this morning, only to find that those &((^*&%*% rabbits have eaten off a bunch of them right to the ground! They were doing so well too. Now it's all our war! I'll be packing heat 24/7 until I am rid of the last one. They have been eating off my beans as soon as they sprout, won't have any of those either, have made 3 plantings so far, and all I have are stubs. I liked it when the coyottes were here, the rabbits were gone, but they sure have returned with a flurish.

Tom, I know how frustrating that can be! Save yourself a lot of grief and just put a little fence around the garden, it doesn't take a whole lot to keep rabbits out...

I think I was to quick to blame the rabbits for eating all of my sweet potatoes. I remembered that in all the many years I've grown them that they have never eaten them before, so why now. And also they dug up the roots and ate them too! I've never known rabbits to do that. Soooooo A few days ago, what do I see but a ground hog! I'm guessing he's the culprit. My appologies to all the bunnies, (Even though they have eaten all my beans.)