How to Grow Sweet Potatoes in Your Garden

Sweet potatoes grow from slips (rooted cuttings) planted in loose, well-draining soil after the last frost, requiring 90-120 days and consistent watering to produce a harvest of nutritious tubers.

1. Launch Your Slip Production. Begin 6-8 weeks before your last frost date by either buying certified disease-free slips from a nursery or starting your own. To grow slips, place a sweet potato halfway in a jar of water with toothpicks supporting it. Roots and shoots will emerge in 2-3 weeks. Once shoots reach 4-6 inches, twist them off with their roots to create slips.
2. Build the Perfect Bed. Choose a sunny spot with loose, well-draining soil. Sweet potatoes prefer sandy loam but adapt to most soils as long as water doesn't pool. Work compost into the soil and create raised rows or mounds 8-10 inches high and 3-4 feet apart. This improves drainage and makes harvesting easier.
3. Get Slips in the Ground. Wait until soil temperature reaches 60°F and all danger of frost has passed. Plant slips 12-18 inches apart, burying them up to their top leaves. The buried stem will develop into the sweet potato plant's root system. Water immediately after planting and keep soil consistently moist for the first week while slips establish.
4. Feed Water and Protection. Provide 1 inch of water weekly during the growing season, reducing to minimal watering 3-4 weeks before harvest to prevent tubers from cracking. Apply 2-4 inches of organic mulch around plants to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. Keep mulch away from stems to prevent pest issues.
5. Redirect Vine Energy. Sweet potato vines spread aggressively and may root at nodes along the stems. Lift and move vines every few weeks to prevent secondary rooting, which diverts energy from the main tuber production. No fertilization is typically needed in average soil, as excess nitrogen promotes leaf growth over tuber development.
6. Pull Your Prize Potatoes. Harvest before the first frost, typically 90-120 days after planting when leaves begin yellowing. Dig carefully with a fork, starting 18 inches from the plant center to avoid damaging tubers. Handle sweet potatoes gently as their skin bruises easily. Brush off soil but don't wash until ready to use.
7. Maximize Flavor and Shelf Life. Cure freshly dug sweet potatoes in a warm (80-85°F), humid location for 7-10 days to heal cuts and improve flavor. After curing, store in a cool (55-60°F), dark, well-ventilated area. Properly cured and stored sweet potatoes keep for 6-10 months.