Sweet potatoes are versatile vegetables. You can use them in many of the same ways that you might use a regular potato, such as turning them into fries, using them as jacket potatoes, or making them into mash. But they can also be used in some sweet recipes, including putting them in cakes or as a base for brownies.

If you've got a couple of sweet potatoes on hand for whenever the mood strikes to use one, there's a way to guarantee yourself an endless supply of the vegetable without ever having to buy another one from the supermarket. Thanks to one hack shared on social media, that dream could be a reality - and all you have to do is sacrifice one or two of the next batch of sweet potatoes you buy.

In a TikTok video, gardener Simon Akeroyd said you can actually take supermarket sweet potatoes and use them to grow your own vegetables in your garden - and March is the perfect time to get your spuds into the ground. Growing your own sweet potatoes isn't as hard as it sounds, either.

According to Simon, you just need to take a plastic container with some holes in the bottom, such as the type that berries or tomatoes come in at the supermarket, add some peat-free compost, and stick two sweet potatoes in it. Leave the plastic container on a windowsill, and before you know it, the sweet potatoes will produce shoots known as slips.

Once this has happened, you can carefully pull the slip off the potato and put it in a small jar filled with water to allow the slip to develop roots. When your slip has roots, plant it in a pot filled with more peat-free compost.

In three months, your sweet potatoes will be ready to harvest, and you can use them in any way you like - and you can repeat the process so you never have to buy sweet potatoes from the supermarket ever again.

Commenters on Simon's video were thankful for his advice, as many said they had assumed that growing their own potatoes was much more complicated than it actually is. One person said: "I love your videos, I'm going to try this!" Another added: "I've already planted some sweet potatoes."

1. Get sweet potato slips

• Buy slips from a garden centre.
• Or make your own by placing a sweet potato in moist soil. After a few weeks, a sprout (slip) will grow, and when this is six to eight inches long, it can be twisted off the potato and placed in water until roots develop.

2. Prepare the planting site

• Timing: Plant slips after the last frost, when the soil is warm (at least 18 degrees Celcius/65 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Location: Choose a sunny spot (six or more hours of sun daily).
• Soil: Loose, well-draining, sandy, or loamy soil is best. Avoid heavy clay.
• Bed Preparation: Create raised mounds or ridges eight to 12 inches high and 12 to 18 inches apart.

3. Planting

• Spacing: Plant slips 12-18 inches apart in rows three feet apart.
• Depth: Bury slips up to the top leaves, ensuring at least two nodes (leaf joints) are underground.
• Water: Water thoroughly after planting.

4. Care and maintenance

• Watering: Keep soil consistently moist, especially during the first few weeks and during dry spells. Reduce watering as harvest approaches.
• Mulching: Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
• Fertilising: Sweet potatoes don't need much fertiliser. Too much nitrogen leads to lush vines and fewer tubers. Use a balanced or low-nitrogen fertiliser if needed.
• Weeding: Weed regularly, especially early in the season.

5. Harvesting

• Time: Sweet potatoes are usually ready between 90 and 120 days after planting, once leaves begin to yellow.
• Method: Gently dig up tubers with a fork, being careful not to bruise them.
• Curing: Cure sweet potatoes in a warm (27-29 degrees Celcius/80-85 degrees Fahrenheit), humid place for seven to 10 days to improve flavour and storage life.