If you’ve ever wondered how to grow sweet potatoes in your own garden, you’re about to discover that these nutritious tubers are surprisingly easy to cultivate, even if you’re a beginner. Sweet potatoes are one of the most rewarding crops you can grow, offering incredible yields, minimal maintenance, and a harvest that can feed your family for months. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share everything I’ve learned from years of growing sweet potatoes, from selecting the right varieties to harvesting and storing your bounty.
Why Sweet Potatoes Deserve a Spot in Your Garden
Before we dive into the how-to, let’s talk about why sweet potatoes should be at the top of your planting list. These vibrant tubers aren’t just delicious they’re nutritional powerhouses packed with vitamin A, fiber, and antioxidants. Unlike their white potato cousins, sweet potatoes are relatively pest-resistant, drought-tolerant once established, and produce impressive yields even in less-than-ideal conditions.
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I’ve grown sweet potatoes in small urban gardens and sprawling rural plots, and they’ve never disappointed. The vining plants also make beautiful ground cover, with attractive foliage that can add ornamental value to your garden beds. Plus, every part of the plant is edible yes, even the leaves make a nutritious addition to salads and stir-fries!
Understanding Sweet Potato Basics
Sweet potatoes are warm-season crops that originated in Central and South America. Despite the name, they’re not related to regular potatoes at all. They’re actually members of the morning glory family, which explains their beautiful vining habit and occasional flowers.
One crucial thing to understand is that sweet potatoes don’t grow from seeds or seed potatoes like regular potatoes. Instead, they grow from “slips” small rooted sprouts that emerge from mature sweet potatoes. This unique propagation method is key to successfully growing sweet potatoes, and I’ll walk you through it step by step.
Choosing the Right Sweet Potato Varieties
Not all sweet potatoes are created equal, and selecting the right variety for your climate and taste preferences makes a tremendous difference in your success.
Popular Varieties for Different Climates
Beauregard: This is my go-to recommendation for beginners. Beauregard sweet potatoes produce consistently high yields, mature in about 90-100 days, and have that classic orange flesh everyone loves. They’re also quite disease-resistant, which gives you a margin of error as you learn.
Georgia Jet: If you’re gardening in a shorter growing season, Georgia Jet is your friend. These mature in just 90 days and perform exceptionally well in northern climates. The flesh is deep orange and incredibly sweet.
Covington: This newer variety has become a commercial favorite for good reason. It offers excellent yields, stores beautifully, and resists common sweet potato diseases. The flavor is outstanding once properly cured.
Purple Sweet Potatoes: For something different, try Okinawan or Stokes Purple. These have stunning purple flesh packed with antioxidants and a unique, slightly nutty flavor. They’re conversation starters at dinner parties!
White Sweet Potatoes: Varieties like O’Henry or Japanese sweet potatoes have cream-colored flesh with a drier, less sweet texture. They’re perfect if you prefer a more subtle flavor.
When choosing varieties, consider your growing season length (check your frost dates), your storage capabilities, and what you’ll use them for in the kitchen. I like to grow at least two varieties each year to hedge my bets and enjoy different flavors.
When to Plant Sweet Potatoes: Timing Is Everything
Getting your timing right is absolutely critical for sweet potato success. These tropical natives need warm soil and warm weather there’s no rushing them.
The Golden Rules of Timing
Plant sweet potatoes when soil temperatures consistently reach 60°F (15°C), ideally 65-70°F (18-21°C). This typically occurs 3-4 weeks after your last frost date. In my Zone 7 garden, that means late May or early June. For gardeners in warmer zones, you might plant as early as March or April.
Here’s a rookie mistake I see constantly: planting too early because you’re eager to get started. Cold soil will stunt your slips, invite disease, and dramatically reduce your harvest. Trust me, I learned this the hard way my first year! Be patient and let the soil warm up properly.
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Sweet potatoes need 90-170 days to mature, depending on the variety. Count backward from your first expected fall frost to determine if you have enough growing time. In northern climates, you might need to choose early-maturing varieties or use season-extending techniques.
How to Obtain and Prepare Sweet Potato Slips
This is where growing sweet potatoes differs dramatically from other crops, and honestly, it’s one of the most fascinating parts of the process.
Option 1: Buying Slips
The easiest route for beginners is purchasing certified disease-free slips from a reputable nursery or online supplier. Order them to arrive shortly before your planting date. When they arrive, they’ll look a bit wilted and pathetic don’t worry! That’s normal.
Unpack your slips immediately and place their roots in water, keeping the leaves above the waterline. Let them recover in a bright, warm location for a day or two before planting. This rehydration step is crucial for their survival.
Option 2: Growing Your Own Slips
Growing your own slips is incredibly rewarding and much more economical if you’re planting a large area. Here’s my foolproof method:
Start 8-10 weeks before your planting date. Select firm, healthy sweet potatoes—organic ones from the grocery store work fine if they haven’t been treated to prevent sprouting.
The Jar Method: Cut a sweet potato in half. Suspend it in a jar of water using toothpicks, with about one-third to one-half submerged. Place it in a warm, sunny window. Change the water every few days to prevent mold.
The Container Method: Fill a container with moist potting soil. Bury sweet potatoes horizontally, covering them with 2 inches of soil. Keep the soil consistently moist and warm (75-80°F is ideal).
Within a few weeks, you’ll see sprouts emerging. Once these slips reach 6-8 inches tall with several leaves, carefully twist them off the mother potato. Each sweet potato can produce 10-20 slips! Place the slips in water for 3-7 days until they develop a good root system before planting.
Preparing the Perfect Growing Site
Sweet potatoes are surprisingly forgiving, but giving them optimal conditions results in exponentially better harvests.
Soil Requirements
Sweet potatoes thrive in loose, well-draining soil. Heavy clay is your enemy here—those tubers need room to expand, and compacted soil creates misshapen, stunted roots. If you have clay soil, don’t despair. Build raised beds or create mounded rows, incorporating generous amounts of compost and aged manure.
The ideal pH is 5.8-6.2, slightly acidic. Sweet potatoes actually prefer less fertile soil than you might expect. Overly rich, nitrogen-heavy soil produces gorgeous foliage but disappointing roots—all vines and no tubers. I learned this lesson after amending my beds too generously one year and harvesting beautiful plants with tiny sweet potatoes!
Work your soil to a depth of 8-12 inches, removing rocks and breaking up clumps. Create raised rows or hills 6-8 inches high and 10-12 inches wide. This improves drainage and warms the soil faster in spring. Space rows 3-4 feet apart.
Sunlight Needs
Full sun is non-negotiable. Sweet potatoes need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily, though they perform best with 10-12 hours. I’ve tried growing them in partial shade, and the results were pitiful. Save your sunniest spots for these sun-worshippers.
Planting Sweet Potato Slips: Step-by-Step
The big day has arrived! Here’s exactly how to get those slips into the ground for maximum success.
- Choose the right day: Plant on a cloudy day or in the evening to reduce transplant shock. If you must plant in full sun, shade the slips for the first few days with newspaper or shade cloth.
- Dig proper holes: Create holes 4-6 inches deep and space them 12-18 inches apart in rows. Closer spacing produces smaller but more numerous sweet potatoes, while wider spacing yields fewer but larger tubers. I prefer 15-inch spacing for a good balance.
- Prepare your slips: Pinch off the lower leaves, leaving only the top 2-4 leaves. Bury the slip so that at least two leaf nodes are underground—these will develop roots and tubers.
- Plant deeply: Unlike most transplants, sweet potatoes should be planted deeply, with only the top leaves showing. This encourages extensive root development.
- Water thoroughly: Give each slip a generous drink immediately after planting. This settles the soil and helps reduce transplant shock.
- Protect them: For the first week, check daily and water if the leaves wilt. Some slips might look terrible for a few days—this is normal. Most recover beautifully within a week.
Essential Care Throughout the Growing Season
Once established, sweet potatoes are remarkably low-maintenance, but a few key practices ensure a bumper crop.
Watering Wisdom
Here’s where many gardeners go wrong: they either overwater or underwater. Sweet potatoes need consistent moisture for the first 4-6 weeks while establishing. Water deeply 2-3 times per week if it doesn’t rain, providing about 1 inch of water weekly.
Once the vines start spreading vigorously (usually 6-8 weeks after planting), reduce watering. At this stage, sweet potatoes become quite drought-tolerant. In fact, too much water late in the season can cause the tubers to crack or rot. I stop watering entirely about 3-4 weeks before harvest unless we’re experiencing a severe drought.
Fertilizing Facts
Remember what I said about overly rich soil? The same applies to fertilizing. I don’t fertilize my sweet potatoes at all once they’re planted in reasonably good soil. If you must fertilize, use a low-nitrogen option like 5-10-10, applied once 4-6 weeks after planting.
Signs you’re over-fertilizing include massive vine growth with few tubers and excessive leafiness. Sweet potatoes channel stress into producing tubers a moderately challenging environment actually encourages better root development.
Mulching Matters
Once your vines start spreading, apply a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch like straw or chopped leaves. Mulch conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, and keeps the soil temperature more consistent. However, don’t mulch too early you want that soil to stay warm in the early weeks.
Managing the Vines
Sweet potato vines can grow 10-20 feet long, spreading across everything in their path. While this is normal, there are a few management considerations:
You can train vines back toward the original planting area, but never pull or yank them this can damage developing tubers. Some gardeners lift and move vines periodically to prevent them from rooting at leaf nodes, which diverts energy from the main tuber production. I’m more laissez-faire and let them do their thing, simply keeping them out of pathways.
Don’t prune or cut back the vines unless absolutely necessary. Those leaves are solar panels producing the energy that creates your tubers!
Common Pests and Problems (and Easy Solutions)
Sweet potatoes face fewer issues than most crops, but here are the main challenges you might encounter:
Deer and Rodents
Deer love sweet potato leaves. If deer are present in your area, install fencing before planting. Voles and mice can also nibble on tubers underground. I’ve had good success with planting marigolds around the perimeter as a deterrent.
Sweet Potato Weevils
These are the most serious pest, particularly in southern regions. The larvae bore into tubers, making them inedible. Prevention is key: use certified disease-free slips, practice crop rotation, and promptly harvest damaged tubers. If weevils are a known problem in your area, consider growing in containers with fresh soil each year.
Fusarium Wilt and Other Diseases
This fungal disease causes yellowing and wilting. The best prevention is crop rotation never plant sweet potatoes in the same spot more than once every 3-4 years. Choose resistant varieties and ensure good drainage.
Cracking and Misshapen Tubers
Irregular watering causes cracking. Maintain consistent moisture during tuber development, then reduce watering as harvest approaches. Compacted or rocky soil causes gnarly, twisted sweet potatoes. Proper bed preparation prevents this.
Harvesting: The Most Exciting Day of the Year
After months of watching those vines grow, harvest day is incredibly satisfying. Timing and technique matter tremendously for getting the best quality and storage life.
When to Harvest
Sweet potatoes are ready when the vines start yellowing and dying back, typically 90-170 days after planting depending on variety. In most climates, this coincides with the first light frost. A light frost (32-35°F) won’t hurt the tubers underground, but don’t wait for a hard freeze.
I always harvest at least 7-10 days before the expected first hard frost. In my garden, this means late September or early October. Mark your calendar based on your planting date and variety maturity time.
Here’s a pro tip: you can do a “test dig” about two weeks before you plan to harvest. Carefully dig up one plant to check tuber size. If they’re at least 1-2 inches in diameter, they’re ready whenever you are.
Harvesting Technique
Choose a dry day when the soil is slightly moist but not wet. Harvest carefully nicked or cut sweet potatoes won’t store well.
- Cut the vines: Use pruning shears to cut vines away from the growing area, leaving 3-4 inches of stem attached to the crown.
- Dig carefully: Using a digging fork (spading forks work better than shovels), start 12-18 inches away from the plant center. Gently lift the entire root mass. Sweet potatoes can extend surprisingly far from the original plant.
- Handle gently: Sweet potatoes bruise easily right after harvest. Treat them like eggs. Don’t wash them just brush off loose soil.
- Collect all tubers: Even tiny sweet potatoes are edible. Don’t leave any in the ground, as they can harbor pests and diseases.
On a good year with favorable conditions, expect 5-10 pounds per plant. I’ve had single plants produce 15 pounds in optimal conditions!
Curing and Storing for Maximum Shelf Life
This step separates the amateurs from the experts. Proper curing transforms good sweet potatoes into amazing sweet potatoes and extends storage life dramatically.
The Curing Process
Curing allows the skin to thicken, heals minor cuts, and converts starches to sugars, making sweet potatoes sweeter and more flavorful. It’s absolutely worth the effort.
Immediately after harvest, move sweet potatoes to a warm (80-85°F), humid (80-90% humidity) location for 10-14 days. I use a spare bathroom with a space heater and humidifier. Some gardeners cure in a greenhouse or covered porch.
Spread tubers in a single layer, not touching. Don’t cure damaged sweet potatoes eat those first instead.
After curing, your sweet potatoes will have toughened skins and be ready for long-term storage.
Long-Term Storage
Move cured sweet potatoes to a cool (55-60°F), dry location. I store mine in cardboard boxes in an unheated bedroom. A basement works if it’s not too damp.
Check stored sweet potatoes monthly, removing any that show signs of rot. Properly cured and stored sweet potatoes last 6-12 months I’ve successfully stored them until the following spring!
Never refrigerate sweet potatoes. Cold temperatures below 50°F damage them and cause hard cores and off-flavors.
Creative Growing Methods
Container Growing
Limited space? Sweet potatoes excel in containers! Use pots at least 12-15 inches deep and 18 inches wide. One slip per container is plenty. This method also helps if you have problem soil or pest issues.
Use well-draining potting mix and ensure containers have drainage holes. Container-grown sweet potatoes need more frequent watering than in-ground plants. I’ve successfully grown sweet potatoes in 5-gallon buckets, fabric grow bags, and even half wine barrels.
Vertical Growing
For extremely small spaces, try growing sweet potatoes vertically on a trellis. While you sacrifice some yield compared to letting them sprawl, you can still harvest decent tubers while using minimal ground space. This works best with more compact varieties.
Succession Planting
In long-season climates (zones 8-10), you can succession plant by starting new slips every 4-6 weeks for multiple harvests. This spreads your harvest throughout the season rather than getting everything at once.
Sweet Potato Leaves: The Bonus Harvest
Here’s something many gardeners don’t know: sweet potato leaves are delicious and nutritious! In many cultures, the leaves are prized as much as the tubers.
You can harvest young leaves and tender stem tips throughout the growing season without harming tuber production just don’t take more than 25% of the foliage at once. Sauté them like spinach, add to soups, or eat raw in salads. They have a mild, slightly tangy flavor.
This turns your sweet potato patch into a dual-purpose crop, providing greens all summer and tubers in fall!
Saving Slips for Next Year
Why buy new slips every year when you can save your own? Select 3-4 perfect, disease-free tubers from your healthiest plants at harvest. Cure and store them separately from your eating crop.
In late winter, start these saved sweet potatoes using the methods I described earlier to generate slips for your next season. This creates a sustainable, self-sufficient sweet potato system and saves money. Plus, you can select for traits that perform best in your specific garden conditions.
Troubleshooting Common Questions
My slips are wilting after planting! Totally normal for the first few days. Ensure they’re getting enough water and consider shading them temporarily. Most recover within a week.
My vines are huge but I’m worried about tuber production! Massive vines sometimes indicate too much nitrogen. Reduce watering and let the plants get slightly stressed. This redirects energy to tuber production.
Can I plant sweet potatoes from the grocery store? Yes, but they may be treated to prevent sprouting. Organic sweet potatoes usually work better. However, you won’t know the variety or if they carry diseases.
My sweet potatoes are small and stringy! This usually indicates planting too early in cold soil, insufficient growing time, or very poor soil. Ensure soil is warm, choose appropriate varieties for your season length, and improve soil structure.
Companion Planting for Sweet Potatoes
Strategic companion planting enhances growth and deters pests:
Good companions: Radishes (harvest before sweet potatoes spread), bush beans (fix nitrogen early in the season), oregano and thyme (may deter pests), summer squash (similar water and sun requirements).
Avoid planting near: Regular potatoes (invite similar pests), squash family if space is limited (they compete for the same space), tall plants that create shade.
Crop Rotation and Soil Health
Never plant sweet potatoes in the same location more than once every 3-4 years. This prevents disease buildup and pest populations from establishing. Follow sweet potatoes with cool-season crops like lettuce or kale, then legumes, then brassicas before returning sweet potatoes to that bed.
After harvest, incorporate the spent vines into compost rather than leaving them in the bed. This reduces overwintering pest and disease pressure.
The Sweet Potato Calendar: Your Year-Round Guide
Late Winter (February-March): Start slips from saved tubers. Order slips if purchasing.
Spring (April-June): Prepare beds. Plant slips when soil reaches 60°F+.
Early Summer (June-July): Maintain consistent watering. Mulch around established plants.
Mid-Late Summer (July-September): Reduce watering. Let vines sprawl. Harvest leaves for eating.
Fall (September-November): Harvest before hard frost. Begin curing process.
Early Winter (November-December): Finish curing. Move to long-term storage. Save tubers for slips if desired.
Final Expert Tips for Sweet Potato Success
After years of growing sweet potatoes in various conditions, here are my top insider tips:
- Don’t rush spring planting. Warm soil is absolutely essential. A late start in warm soil beats an early start in cold soil every single time.
- Less is more with fertilizer. Resist the urge to pamper these plants with rich amendments. They perform better with moderate fertility.
- Mark your planting locations. Those vines spread everywhere, and you’ll forget exactly where you planted. Use stakes or markers to remember where to dig.
- Cure everything you can. Don’t skip the curing process. It’s transformative for flavor and storage life.
- Try different varieties. Experiment with colors and flavors. You might discover a new favorite that’s perfect for your conditions.
- Save the small ones. Tiny sweet potatoes are perfectly edible and delicious. Roast them whole or use in soups.
- Plant more than you think you need. Sweet potatoes store so well that overplanting isn’t really a problem. Plus, they make excellent gifts!
Your Path to Sweet Potato Success
Learning how to grow sweet potatoes successfully is one of the most rewarding gardening journeys you’ll embark upon. These generous plants ask for little warm soil, sunshine, patience and give back abundantly. Whether you’re growing a few plants in containers on your patio or dedicating an entire garden bed to production, the principles remain the same.
Start with quality slips, plant at the right time in well-prepared soil, provide consistent care during establishment, then step back and let these remarkable plants do what they do best. Come fall, you’ll experience the magic of unearthing pounds of beautiful tubers from a single slip.
My first sweet potato harvest was modest maybe 20 pounds total from a small bed. But the satisfaction of growing this nutrient-dense food from start to finish, plus the incredible flavor of properly cured, homegrown sweet potatoes, instantly made me a lifelong fan. Now I grow 50-100 pounds yearly, sharing with neighbors and storing our family through winter.
The knowledge you’ve gained in this guide gives you everything needed to grow sweet potatoes successfully, even if you’ve never grown them before. Start small if you’re nervous, but do start. Your future self will thank you when you’re enjoying delicious, homegrown sweet potatoes next Thanksgiving!
