I get plants from a nursery. Grocery store sweet potatoes, I have been told, are treated to retard sprouting. I have planted eyes and whole potatoes and have never gotten a start.
Here's a very good link: http://www.almanac.com/plant/sweet-potato. I will add; grow them in pots that are at least semi transparent (like storage bins; put holes in them). That way you can see the development of the sweet potato. Also dumping them out is easier than trying to root through the ground to find them when they're ripe. Sweet potatoes are not yummy right out of the ground, they have to cure in a cool environment to get "sweet".
Purchase a sweet potato and let it start growing shoots from the eyes. Cut up the potato and each piece should have the eye. Dig a nice big deep hole and enrich the soil. Cover, water and maintain watering a little. In the fall you will dip the potato up with a pitch fork. I would also suggest you google this for more info. Hope it works for you.
If you want to grow a few of your own starters for planting, and you're willing to take a chance on whatever sweet potatoes you can get, you can root enough potatoes for a big planter. I try to find potatoes that still have some dirt on them, and definitely not potatoes that are wrapped in plastic wrap for baking in a microwave. You will need one pint or quart jar for each potato, and quart is better. Fill the jars 3/4 full with water. I slice at least 1/3 off from the bottom (pointy end) of each potato, depending on its length. You want the next 1/3 to be under water, so I use old-fashioned toothpicks to create a brace to keep the last 1/3 above the jar top and out of water. Poke in four toothpicks, one on each side, leaving enough toothpick to rest on the top of the jar. Then wait for the roots to grow under the water and the vines to grow out from the top, usually about ten days. Keep the water topped off daily, and keep the jars in the sun several hours a day. Clip the vines at no longer than six inches. You want potato roots. When the root end is hairy with many roots growing about an inch or two, or when the root end only has a few roots, but they are two inches long or more, your potatoes are ready to put in deep planters, 3-6 taters to a hill, as my Mamaw used to say. Loose soil. Sprinkle with water once a day unless it rains. Wait for the potatoes to grow, then dig or dump them out. You have your own sweet potatoes! Best wishes.
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I get plants from a nursery. Grocery store sweet potatoes, I have been told, are treated to retard sprouting. I have planted eyes and whole potatoes and have never gotten a start.
Here's a very good link: http://www.almanac.com/plant/sweet-potato. I will add; grow them in pots that are at least semi transparent (like storage bins; put holes in them). That way you can see the development of the sweet potato. Also dumping them out is easier than trying to root through the ground to find them when they're ripe. Sweet potatoes are not yummy right out of the ground, they have to cure in a cool environment to get "sweet".
Purchase a sweet potato and let it start growing shoots from the eyes. Cut up the potato and each piece should have the eye. Dig a nice big deep hole and enrich the soil. Cover, water and maintain watering a little. In the fall you will dip the potato up with a pitch fork. I would also suggest you google this for more info. Hope it works for you.
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-sweet-potatoes-in-the-home-garden-14
Here is a great article on how to grow them ... https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/how-to-grow-sweet-potatoes, good luck
If you want to grow a few of your own starters for planting, and you're willing to take a chance on whatever sweet potatoes you can get, you can root enough potatoes for a big planter. I try to find potatoes that still have some dirt on them, and definitely not potatoes that are wrapped in plastic wrap for baking in a microwave. You will need one pint or quart jar for each potato, and quart is better. Fill the jars 3/4 full with water. I slice at least 1/3 off from the bottom (pointy end) of each potato, depending on its length. You want the next 1/3 to be under water, so I use old-fashioned toothpicks to create a brace to keep the last 1/3 above the jar top and out of water. Poke in four toothpicks, one on each side, leaving enough toothpick to rest on the top of the jar. Then wait for the roots to grow under the water and the vines to grow out from the top, usually about ten days. Keep the water topped off daily, and keep the jars in the sun several hours a day. Clip the vines at no longer than six inches. You want potato roots. When the root end is hairy with many roots growing about an inch or two, or when the root end only has a few roots, but they are two inches long or more, your potatoes are ready to put in deep planters, 3-6 taters to a hill, as my Mamaw used to say. Loose soil. Sprinkle with water once a day unless it rains. Wait for the potatoes to grow, then dig or dump them out. You have your own sweet potatoes! Best wishes.