Of all houseplants to grow from kitchen scraps, sweet potato vines are probably the fastest growing and the most fun. Plant a sweet potato in water, and almost before your eyes it transforms into a sprawling vine with lime green or purple-tinged leaves. Even better, the leaves are edible and tasty. 

Follow these steps to planting and growing your own sweet potato vine indoors.

1. Use an organic sweet potato. If it has started sprouting like the one pictured here, that is ideal, because it means the potato hasn’t been sprayed with a sprout retardant. Already having leaves also means that it will grow extra quickly. Although you can start with a sweet potato that has no leaves, it will take longer to get going, and it may not sprout.

(All photos Julie Bawden-Davis)

 2. Fill a container with lukewarm water. A glass jar or drinking glass works well. This jar pictured here is purple tinged to match the purple leaves of the sweet potato.

3. Gather four toothpicks to insert into the sweet potato. Starting two to three inches from the bottom of the sweet potato, push the toothpicks in about an inch at evenly spaced increments.

4. Set the sweet potato in the water so that the tip is submerged. Roots will emerge from the various eyes in the potato and begin drinking water and filling the vase, at the same time growing foliage.

5. Grow the sweet potato in a warm, sunny window.

6. Keep the water clean. Empty the container every 2 to 3 days and replace with fresh water. Stagnant water can cause the sweet potato to ingest toxins and slow growth. The water may also smell bad if it sits too long. Don’t use softened water, which is too high in salts for all houseplants.

7. Allow room for growth. Happy sweet potato vines grow quickly, so be ready to support growth with staking or enough area for the vine to hang.

8. When the plant has a substantial amount of leaves, pick what you want and eat them. The leaves feature a slightly spicy flavor.