Starting January, grow sweet potatoes!

[Vicstar]

I came across a site that recommended getting some sweet potatoes in January (just from a supermarket), and cutting them up keeping a nodule on each piece, and allowing them to sprout (in a dark place, just like ordinary potatoes). As soon as they are sprouted I gather they can be planted. Getting them off to an early start helps to increase the yield (I'm in the UK, so not sure on the climatic differences). They also recommended not planting them in the ground like ordinary potatoes, but using chicken wire wrapped into a tube and fixed together, and then filling this with soil, planting the potatoes as one fills it. I guess that one then adds more soil as the potatoes sprout to make sure that the potatoes have plenty of earth to grow in.
The idea was that this technique makes it really easy to harvest the sweet potatoes as well as making earthing up easy: instead of digging down and damaging the tubers as you harvest them you simply undo the chickenwire and allow the potatoes to fall out.
I like the idea but am a bit confused practically....for example, would the soil not just fall out between the wires? I guess one could use some of that black garden mulch material to line the chicken wire to stop this happening.
Has anyone else had any experience or have any ideas on how to make this work?