How to Turn Your Sweet Potato into a Gorgeous Climbing Plant

Sweet potato
Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash

If you have sweet potatoes lying around in your kitchen, waiting to be used, here’s an idea: how about, instead of cooking or frying it like you normally would, you simply… turn it into a beautiful house plant? Yep, that’s right—sweet potatoes can make lovely, low-maintenance climbing plants if you only let them!

Step 1: Find an Interestingly-Shaped Sweet Potato

Well, you can also choose a completely ordinary-looking one, but an interesting shape can add that little extra touch of uniqueness. Anyway, just choose a sweet potato, and you’re all set for step two.

Step 2: Stick Toothpicks into It

Place all four toothpicks at the same height, which should be somewhere mid-sweet potato. The toothpicks should be inserted deep enough as to not slip out, but so that most of the toothpick still sticks out (roughly 70% of it should be visible).

Step 3: Place It in Water

Any empty flowerpot, vase, or even well-washed sugar jar would do. The only important thing is for the opening to be small enough for the toothpicks to be able to hang on the sides of it, keeping your precious sweet potato from sinking in. Use empty rice and coffee jars as vases and get some recycling done in the process.

Fill the vessel of your choice with water, then place the sweet potato inside.

Step 4: Wait

Make sure you replace the water every 3-4 days, and soon (like, really soon, those little orange things are quicker to grow than you’d think) you’ll be seeing roots starting to pop out of the bottom half. Not long after, small branches will follow suit; and finally, green, heart-shaped leaves will appear.