The long shoots, the often strikingly colored autumn leaves and the beautiful flowers of the sweet potato captivate every gardener. Tasty, edible tubers also form underground. Sweet potatoes are often grown outdoors, especially because the batate is ideal for mixed cultivation. Don't you have a garden or do you have very little space? Then you don't have to go without the worthwhile morning glory plant. Simply grow your sweet potato in the flower box. You can find out how to do this here.
How to grow a sweet potato in a flower box?
Sweet potatoes can be grown in window boxes by placing them in a sunny place, mixing conventional potting soil with coconut soil or providing protection with mulch, providing adequate drainage, keeping the soil moist and fertilizing monthly. Shoots serve as decoration and should not be cut.
Advantages of keeping in a flower box
- space saving
- Depending on the weather, you can move the batate to a protected location
- the sweet potato needs a lot of light and warmth. Balconies often face south
- the shoots hang out of the bucket and serve as decoration on railings
Care
When growing sweet potatoes in the flower box, there are a few aspects that you need to take into account in particular compared to growing them outdoors. But even with this form of cultivation, the maintenance effort is limited. A sweet potato in a flower box proves to be extremely easy to care for.
Selection of location
Depending on the variety, a sweet potato needs to be placed in a sunny place. But be careful, the darker the foliage, the faster the leaves risk burning. In any case, you must protect your plant from frost.
Substrate and flower box
Conventional potting soil (€10.00 on Amazon) is completely sufficient for keeping in a pot. If your sweet potato is very sunny, we recommend mixing some coconut soil into the substrate. This doesn't dry out so quickly. Alternatively, a layer of mulch protects against the heat. However, waterlogging must not form. That's why your flower box should have drainage. Also note the enormous growth of the plant. The flower box should have sufficient volume.
Watering and fertilizing
Keep the soil moist throughout. From March to September, fertilize the plant once a month with complete fertilizer or an organic product.
Does the sweet potato need to be cut?
The sweet potato forms very long shoots that grow over the edge of the flower box. But that's exactly what sets the Batate apart. For this reason, you should only remove wilted leaves and disturbing leaves. If you don't want your plant to spread on the ground, simply tie the shoots together.
