Grow Sweet Potatoes and Irish Potatoes from Kitchen Scraps
Have a bit of fun and grow kitchen scraps into new plants.
Take a look in the pantry for a bit of inspiration and free resources. Those baking potatoes and sweet potatoes starting to sprout are a good place to start.
The irish potatoes are tubers and the sprouts, or eyes, are the beginning of new plants. Cut the potato into several pieces with one or two eyes per section. Plant them in a well-drained potting mix.
Sweet potatoes are tuberous roots with the new growth coming from the buds (eyes) at the top of the fleshy root. Plant the whole tuberous root or just the top few inches with the growing point intact.
Keep the potting mix moist for both. Once rooted, grow in a sunny window and water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil slightly moist. Then wait for the leaves to appear. Once your sweet potato starts to grow, you can take cuttings and start new plants.
A bit more information: Here’s how to root your sweet potato cutting. Start with 3- to 4-inch pieces of the leafy stem. Remove the lowest leaf and stick the cut end in a well-drained potting mix. Place cuttings in a warm bright location and keep the potting mix moist. Once rooted, move to a sunny window and water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil slightly moist.
Related
Audio
Audio
Video
Categories
Upcoming
Events & Webinars
April 1, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Growing a Bountiful Harvest
Register here
April 9, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
7 Steps to Managing Water on Your Property
Register here
April 11, 2026
A Day in the Garden
Fond du Lac, WI
Register here
April 18, 2026
3rd Annual Spring Rally
Oshkosh, WI
Register here
April 19, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
April 23, 2026
Iowa State University
More information
April 25, 2026
Pasquesi Home & Gardens
Lake Bluff, IL
April 26, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 2, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 6, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Adding Native Plants
to Any Size Gardening Space
Register here
May 7, 2026
Wauwatosa Public Library
Wauwatosa, WI
May 9, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 10, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 13, 2026
Roots & Branches
West Bend, WI
Register here
May 16, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 17, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 21, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Planting & Care of Your Rain Garden
Register here
June 3, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Managing Your Landscape
with Pollinators in Mind
Register here
June 10, 2026
Enjoy Life Active Aging Symposium
Brookfield, WI
More information
July 9, 2026
Ebert's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Ixonia, WI
August 6-16, 2026
Wisconsin State Fair
We Energies Energy Park, West Allis, WI
Sept. 3, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Tree Planting and Care
Register here
Sept. 12, 2026
Knowledge in Bloom Conference
Milwaukee, WI
Register here
Sept. 17, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Fall Landscape Care and Planting
Register here
WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS
MORE UPCOMING EVENT DETAILS
Book an Appearance
Sign up for Melinda's free e-newsletter for a chance to win a Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide!
ENTER NOW
