How to Start Sprouting a Yam

Sprout yams indoors to get an early start on the growing season.

Yams are a popular side dish during holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. The vegetable looks similar to a potato except the skin appears thin and the flesh has an orange color. Yams have a sweet flavor and a soft texture. Sprout yams at home with items that you have in your kitchen. Once the yams start producing roots, a vine grows from the top of the produce. Transplant the yams outdoors once the threat of frost passes in the early spring around March or April.

Things You'll Need

• Vegetable brush
• Wide-mouth quart-sized canning jar
• Large toothpicks

Instructions

1. Scrub the skin of the yam with a vegetable brush. Run the yam under cool water to remove dirt and debris.

2. Fill a large wide-mouth quart-sized canning jar half full with cool water. The glass jar should be large enough to hold the yam. Carefully insert the yam into the jar so that only the bottom one-third remains under the water. Adjust the water level as needed.

3. Insert large thick toothpicks into the sides of the yam. The toothpicks hold the yam in position in the jar. The toothpicks then sit on the rim of the jar. You can find these toothpicks at most kitchen and gourmet stores.

4. Place the jar in a sunny location with a temperature range between 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Add water to the jar as needed to keep one third of the yam submerged. Change the water whenever it looks cloudy.

6. Keep the yam in a warm location until the roots fully develop, which may take up to12 weeks. Remove the sprouts once they are 5 to 6 inches long. Hold the sprout by the base and pull on it sideways to remove it from the yam. Place the sprouts in a new glass jar full of water, and set them in a sunny location. Small white roots will form on the sprouts. The sprouts develop roots in two weeks, then transplant outdoors or in individual growing pots in late May or early June.

Tips & Warnings

• The yam changes appearance while it sprouts, so do not throw it away or feel discouraged. Small white roots will grow in the jar before the sprouts emerge. Green sprouts will grow from the top of the yam.

• The yam slips grow best when the soil reaches 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a raised garden bed at least 15 inches wide in a location that receives full sun for best results.

References

• Love Your Veggies: Sprouts Up! Grow Your Own Vegetables with these Simple Ideas
• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association: Grow Your Own Sweet Potatoes
• Canadian Gardening: Kids and Sweet Potatoes
• University of Illinois: Great Plant Escape
• Food Skills for Self Sufficiency: Starting Sweet Potato Slips

Resources

• University of Illinois: Yams or Sweet Potatoes?
• University of Hawaii: Careful Storage of Yams
• CNN: Sweet potatoes and yams--Aren't they the same thing?