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Receiving your slips:

•  Gently cut the plastic baggies off each package, keeping identification of each variety.
• Gently remove the damp paper towel
• Place slips into a cup or jar with about 2.5 inches of non-chlorinated water, keeping them standing upright.  Change water daily. Remove any dead leaves from the water. 
• Have them sit overnight to re-acclimate (they are not fond of traveling)
• The next day start to harden them off by getting them used to being outside, a little sun, a little shade, a little wind and back inside especially if they start to droop.
• Bring them inside for overnight for the first couple of days.
• Slips may be potted up instead of kept in water, and transplanted once they have been hardened off, and the ground is warm and the weather is suitable. 

Planting:

• If the sun outside is extreme, wait for a cloudy day to plant or provide some partial shade. ie. a cedar shingle stuck into the ground beside the slip. 
• Cuttings may be potted up in larger pots as they get bigger, the same as tomatoes. Do not allow the plants to become root bound as it will deform the sweet potatoes if they are left in too small size of pots.
• Sweet potato plants do not tolerate cold or shade well. Plant in full sun, and in warm ground. Shadows from trees and building can reach quite a distance.
• Raised garden beds are best used to help maintain warm ground. We hill up the soil to make a raised bed.
• Longer growing season areas do not need the plastic, but it helps to heat the soil. We cover the ground with clear plastic to hold the heat in.  Make sure the plastic is tight to the ground and not loose. Use soil to hold down the edges.  Cut a slit into the plastic to plant each cutting. Make a shallow depression or crater in soil to allow water to run into the plant. Add water to the opening then plant the slip, cover roots with soil and pat down, and add more water.  We plant about 12 -18” apart in the row to allow room to grow and about 3’-4’ center to center on rows.
• On a regular basis, watering, and gently put any vines and leaves that start growing under the plastic up on top of it.
• Individual plants may be grown in larger black containers, 5 gallon or more size approximately 24” high and 20” wide, with drainage, do well.  These do even better if the pot is set halfway into the ground. This is an easier way to grow if only a few plants, as they may be dumped out of the pot after first frost, instead of digging them up .
• Regular watering will help to prevent splits in the sweet potatoes as it will with a lot of fruits and vegetables.

Harvesting and Storing:

• Later in the season (if you have a short growing season like us,  early September) watch for frost warnings. If you are aware of impending frost, cover the plants to protect them overnight and remove the protection in the morning.
• If the soil gets down to 10°C or first frost, whichever occurs first (unless you have been covering the sweet potatoes) they should be dug. (10°C and below will cold damage sweet potatoes) 
• If a Killing Frost occurs, the plants are dead, and the sweet potatoes should be dug up the next day as the cold damage can start to occur.
• Sweet potatoes damage easily and must be handled gently.
• Some sweet potatoes will be right under the plant, others may be found at the end of a root up to approximately 3’ away if looking for water. (Containers are the easy way of digging)
• You do not need to cure the sweet potatoes if you are not planning on storing them for a long time. Some customers said that it would not be necessary as they plan to eat them before then, LOL.  They will develop better flavour if cured and stored for a while.
• Sweet potatoes need to be cured for storage by keeping them in a warm humid place, allow air to circulate around them, in at least 27°C for a week or  until the skin toughens up and any damaged spots dry. 
• Store sweet potatoes at minimum of 15°C. They will keep in a cupboard at room      temperature well. (Keep out of light to discourage sprouting towards Spring) The sweet potatoes will stay good until the next harvest or longer if cured properly.