"Mike C" writes:
Why not just drop sprouted spuds in the ground in the spring?

I can tell you of my experience. I saved a sweet potato that had begun
to sprout and I planted it out in rich loam in a fantastic climate.
The vine grow phenomenally well, you could almost see the sea of green
expanding outwards before your eyes. As summer came to an end I decided I'd
start harvesting the crop in stages, digging up just one square metre of
the bed at a time. But in search of my first spud I ended up digging the
whole bed and the only spud I found was the one I'd planted! There were not
even tiny tubers in the making anywhere. After planting the whole spud my
crop was all vine.

Do the slips need to be a certain size/maturity before planting them in the
ground?

I expect they'll do just fine provided they have a healthy set of roots when
you plant them out. The pink-fleshed sweet potatoes do really well in rich
sandy loam in full sun. Make sure you cover the slips when you plant them
out or they'll be badly sunburnt. Harden them off first, too.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)