Gardening and Horticulture - I need sweet potato seeds

Howdy, If anyone knows where a kid could get some sweet potato seeds I'd be super happy. I live in Alberta, Canada and I haven't had any luck so if you know. Let me know. Please.
Thanx Jarvis

Hey Jarvis,
Welcome to DIY! Off the top of my head, I cant think of any websites specifically for sweet potatoes, but here is a website you might find interesting:

http://www.avidmediainc.com/cg_cat/

Hope it helps. Hey Gami, this link thing is CONTAGIOUS :D

Eric

Hey Eric,

I think it could be! :D Thanks for the link. I'll look at it closer tomorrow.

I just checked out the Herb category. The lady from the "Herbal Touch" in Otterville, Ontario is somewhat of a regular on the Gardener's Journal on HGTV.

Gami

Hey Gami,
She is? I guess Ive never seen her. Hope you didnt get lectured too badly - Im tempted to buy more! The thing is, we'll have to buy another yard :D

Eric

Sweet potatoes are most often sold as small plants or "slips" try these sites

http://members.aol.com/SPVine/steele/steele.htm

:D

http://members.aol.com/SPVine/garden/garden2.htm

I wonder if you are not seeing them in Cdn, sources because they take too long at to high of a temperature to be do able in your zone.

The one source I have say's 120 days.

Byron

I believe that sweet potatoes, like white potatoes, do not produce seeds. Next years crop comes from left over potatoes of this year's crop. You cut a sweet potatoe in half (quarters?) and plant it. Roots deveop, then the stalks develop. Have you ever had old sweet potatoes laying around? Notice the whisker-like growth?

Try this - let the kids help. Cut a sweet potatoe into halves or quarters. Now suspend in a glass of water skin side down. See what happens. I have a vaque recollection of doing this in grade school 40 years ago.

This maybe true, the kicker is that night temperatures below 50F
kill sweet potatoes, where as white potatoes can withstand light frost.

I am looking at Canada as growing area,

Without a greenhouse type set up he can't keep the night temps
high enough, long enough.


Byron

Could be why sweet potatoes are a southern specialty.

My point was that one won't find sweet potatoe seeds. I wasn't implying that anyone try to grow sweet potatoes from potatoes bought at the grocery. It was just something interesting for the kids to do.

My dad and uncle both had big gardens and both planted white potatoes. Both bought "seed" potatoes from a local feed store. Those were treated to help grow and fight insects.

That was the only veggie my dad didn't get from Burpee's.

OK I see what your saying, tuber/sets vs seeds OK
no problem there.

With organic white potatoes, you can even cut 2" cube around
any "eye" or new forming root.


Non-organic you might get GMO potatoes, not sure what would happen.