How-To Tips about Sweet Potatoes

Tips for Growing, Harvesting & Storing Sweet Potatoes

Why Our Sweet Potato Plants/Slips are Superior
Sweet Potato Ordering/Shipping Information
Our Varieties of Sweet Potatoes
Answers to Questions Frequently Asked by Gardeners and Small Producers
Sweet Potato Plants in Hanging Baskets

Sweet potatoes do best in well-drained, sandy, loam soil. Roots with better shapes usually develop when grown in light, loamy soils than those grown in heavy or clay soils. Coarse, deep, sandy soils are generally low in fertility, subject to moisture stress, and require more irrigation and fertilizer to grow a good crop.

Select an area to grow your plants/slips that has a southern exposure. Because drainage is a must, don’t grow your sweet potatoes on flat ground as water needs to run off the potato patch. To prepare the soil, till well and apply 8-8-8 fertilizer at the rate of 2 lbs. per 25 ft. of row. Push the softened, fertilized soil into a foot-wide, flat-topped ridge row that is 8” high.

Plant your slips 10 to 15 inches apart in the center of the ridge row and at a depth of 3 inches with at least 2 plant nodes underground and 2 or more leaves above ground. Spacing your slips farther apart in the row can shorten your growing season. So, if you will be growing in cooler areas, consider planting your slips farther apart.

Water well after transplanting. Although sweet potatoes can withstand dry spells, the crop will need ½-inch of rainfall each week if the weather is hot (85 to 98 degrees F during the day). This should produce an abundant yield of top quality sweet potatoes.

Thirty days after transplanting, side dress with an 8-8-8 fertilizer again at the same rate (2 lbs. per 25 ft. of row). That’s important because roots begin to form in 30 to 45 days and need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash for optimum growth.

Sweet Potatoes

Root-feeding insects can be controlled with one application of Diazinon 14G at the rate of ½ lb. over 1,000 sq. ft. of foliage or 2 oz. per 25 ft. of row when the roots begin to form (30 to 45 days after transplanting). Be sure to follow all applicable directions, restrictions, and precautions on the EPA-registered label. Thereafter, use a foliar spray of Sevin or Malathion at the rate of 2 tbsp. per gallon of water every 7 to 14 days as necessary, beginning on July 1.

Sweet potatoes require very little care. A bit of weeding, done carefully so as not to injure the shallow roots, is usually all that is needed. Uncontrolled weeds can decrease the yields as much as 100%.

Harvesting of the sweet potato roots is usually done between 90 and 120 days or as soon as possible after a frost has blackened the tops of the plants. A mature sweet potato will have 4 to 5 roots of varying sizes, but the majority should have a 1 ¾-inch diameter and be 3 to 9 inches in length. You can check for maturity by gently lifting the sweet potatoes out of the ground with a large fork or shovel, making sure they do not become detached from the vine. If they’re not ready to harvest, lower back down and cover with soil.

Dig sweet potatoes carefully as their skin is thin, and they will bruise easily. It is best to wear gloves when handling them. Do not leave the roots exposed to direct sunlight when temperatures are above 90 degrees F for more than 30 minutes or they will sun-scald and be more susceptible to storage rots. Once the sweet potato roots have been removed from the ground, spread them out to dry for several hours away from direct sunlight.

Once dry, put them in newspaper-lined boxes and leave them in a dry, ventilated area for 2 weeks, then store in a cool, dry place (50 to 55 degrees F) to cure until you cook them. Sweet potatoes can be stored for up to 10 months with little reduction in quality. Once they have been cured (usually after 2 months) they can be cooked and frozen for later use.

Sweet Potatoes in the Field