Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas · Vegetable

Quick answer: Water: About 1 in per week; about 1 in per week; stop 3–4 weeks before harvest. Light: Full sun, at least 8 hours a day. Soil: Loose, well-drained sandy or loamy soil, pH 5.5–6.5. Pets: The ASPCA lists sweet potato (sweet potato vine) as non-toxic to cats and dogs. If in doubt, ask your vet.

A warm-season crop grown from rooted shoots called slips, not from seed. It needs a long, hot summer and loose soil. After harvest the roots are cured in warmth, which makes them sweeter and helps them keep for months.

Care at a glance

Light

Full sun, at least 8 hours a day

Water

About 1 in per week; stop 3–4 weeks before harvest

Soil

Loose, well-drained sandy or loamy soil, pH 5.5–6.5

Temperature

Plant when soil reaches 70 °F; harvest before it drops below 60 °F

Spacing

9–15 in in the row, rows 3–4 ft apart

Container

At least 15 gallons, wide and deep (estimated)

Harvest

90–120 days after planting

Lifespan

Grown as an annual

When?

Plant slips once frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed to about 70 °F. In warm southern areas this is mid-April to May; in cooler areas late May to June (estimated). Dig before the soil cools in fall.

Step by step

1. Grow slips from a stored root kept at 75–85 °F, or buy them from a reliable source.
2. Cut slips 8–12 in long instead of pulling them, to avoid carrying disease.
3. Build ridges 8–10 in tall so the roots have loose soil.
4. Plant slips 4–5 in deep, cut end down, and water right away.
5. Keep soil evenly moist for the first two weeks, then give about 1 in per week.
6. Mulch 1–2 in deep and hoe shallowly to control weeds.
7. Use fertilizer only as the label directs; too much nitrogen gives vines, not roots.
8. Dig carefully, cure 7–10 days at 80–85 °F and high humidity, then store at 55–60 °F; never refrigerate.

Common problems

Pets

The ASPCA lists sweet potato (sweet potato vine) as non-toxic to cats and dogs. If in doubt, ask your vet.

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