Overview

Transform your garden into a vibrant, edible landscape with our premium purple sweet potato slips. These 10 well-rooted live plant cuttings of the ‘Molokai Purple’ variety promise a rewarding gardening experience, yielding sweet, earthy tubers with a stunning deep purple flesh. Originating from Hawaii, these unique sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas ‘Molokai Purple’) are not only a culinary delight but also a nutritional powerhouse, rich in anthocyanins—powerful antioxidants that contribute to their distinctive color. Ideal for home gardens and raised beds, these slips are your first step towards enjoying fresh, homegrown produce.

Growing your own Molokai purple sweet potato is a fulfilling journey, offering fresh, organic produce right from your backyard. These versatile plants thrive in warm climates and are relatively low-maintenance, making them suitable for gardeners of all skill levels. Whether you’re looking to add a pop of color to your vegetable patch or seeking nutrient-dense ingredients for your kitchen, these sweet potato slips are an excellent choice. Their vigorous growth and abundant yield make them a favorite among gardening enthusiasts.

Key Benefits

Cultivating purple sweet potato slips in your garden brings a multitude of advantages, from their stunning appearance to their health-boosting properties. These plants are designed to thrive and provide a bountiful harvest, enriching both your diet and your garden’s aesthetic.

• Nutrient-Rich Harvest: Enjoy sweet potatoes packed with powerful antioxidants (anthocyanins), vitamins, and minerals, contributing to a healthier diet.
• Vibrant Garden Addition: The lush foliage and potential for deep purple tubers add a unique visual appeal to your home garden or raised beds.
• Easy to Grow: These well-rooted slips are straightforward to plant and maintain, making them an excellent choice for both beginner and experienced gardeners. Learning how to grow purple sweet potato is a simple and rewarding experience.
• Versatile Culinary Use: The sweet, rich flavor of Molokai Purple sweet potatoes makes them perfect for baking, roasting, frying, or mashing, offering endless culinary possibilities.
• High Yield Potential: With proper care, each slip can produce multiple tubers, ensuring a generous harvest for your kitchen.
• Drought Tolerant: Once established, sweet potato plants are relatively tolerant to dry spells, making them resilient in various growing conditions.
• Soil Improvement: The vigorous root system of the sweet potato vine plant can help improve soil structure, benefiting subsequent crops.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

To successfully grow purple sweet potato and ensure a bountiful harvest, understanding their specific care requirements is crucial. These plants thrive in warm, sunny conditions and appreciate consistent moisture, especially during their initial growth phase. Providing the right environment will lead to robust growth and delicious tubers.

For optimal growth, plant your purple sweet potato slips after the last frost, ensuring the soil temperature is consistently at or above 65°F (18°C). Choose a location that receives full sun, meaning 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. The ideal soil is loose, well-drained, sandy or loamy, with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Space the slips 12-18 inches apart within rows that are approximately 3 feet apart to allow for proper air circulation and root development. Keep the soil consistently moist but avoid waterlogging, which can lead to root rot. Reduce watering as harvest time approaches to encourage tuber maturation.

Fertilization should focus on promoting root growth rather than excessive foliage. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer throughout the growing season. Monitor your sweet potato vine plant for any signs of pests or diseases, although they are generally quite resilient. Harvesting typically occurs 100-120 days after planting, when the leaves begin to yellow. Gently dig around the plants to avoid damaging the tubers. Proper care, including attention to soil, water, and sun, will ensure a successful yield from your sweet potato cutting care efforts.

Size & Details

This offering includes 10 individual purple sweet potato slips, each well-rooted and ready for planting. These slips are live plant cuttings, prepared to establish quickly in your garden. While specific dimensions can vary, each slip is typically several inches long, featuring healthy leaves and a developed root system to ensure a strong start. The ‘Molokai Purple’ cultivar is known for its vigorous growth, producing tubers with a deep purple flesh and a sweet, rich flavor.

When mature, the sweet potato vines can spread significantly, making them excellent ground cover in addition to their edible yield. The tubers themselves generally reach a good size, perfect for culinary use. These slips are shipped ready to plant and will quickly establish themselves in suitable conditions. Expect to harvest your delicious Molokai Purple sweet potatoes approximately 100-120 days after planting, allowing you to enjoy the fruits of your labor within a single growing season.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these purple sweet potato slips get? A: Each slip is a young plant cutting, typically several inches long with established roots. The mature vines can spread significantly, and the tubers will grow to a good, edible size, usually harvested when mature.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: These Molokai purple sweet potato slips are primarily intended for outdoor cultivation in home gardens, raised beds, or tropical vegetable gardens, especially in USDA zones 9-11. They require full sun to thrive.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: Sweet potato plants require full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day, to produce the best tubers.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, sweet potato slips are relatively easy to care for, making them suitable for gardeners of all experience levels. Consistent watering, appropriate soil, and full sun are key to successful growth.
• Q: What condition will the sweet potato cutting arrive in? A: Your sweet potato cutting care starts the moment it arrives. The slips are carefully packed to ensure they arrive in good condition. Some yellowing or leaf drop may occur during transit, but the plants typically recover quickly once planted.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these purple sweet potato slips? A: The best time to plant is after the last frost in your area, once the soil has warmed up to at least 65°F (18°C).
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Molokai Purple sweet potatoes prefer warm climates (USDA zones 9-11). In colder zones, they are typically grown as annuals and harvested before the first frost.
• Q: What type of soil is best for growing purple sweet potato? A: They prefer loose, well-drained sandy or loamy soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Good drainage is essential to prevent root rot.
• Q: How often should I water the sweet potato vine plant? A: Keep the soil consistently moist, but not soggy, especially during the initial growth phase. Reduce watering as the harvest time approaches.
• Q: Can I grow these in containers? A: Yes, these purple sweet potato slips can be grown in large containers or grow bags, provided they have adequate drainage and receive full sun.