How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

Growing sweet potatoes has gotten complicated with all the conflicting advice flying around gardening forums. As someone who has grown these tubers in my backyard for the past eight years — through drought summers and soggy springs alike — I learned everything there is to know about getting a good harvest. Today, I will share it all with you.

Picking Your Variety

First things first: choose a variety that makes sense for where you live and what you actually want to eat. I’m apparently one of those people who tried three different types before settling on what works.

Beauregard is the workhorse — high yield, adapts to most conditions, and reliable. Jewel gives you that sweet, moist flesh perfect for baking. Garnet has gorgeous deep orange color and rich flavor. Each has its personality, so consider what you’re cooking before you plant.

Get Your Soil Right

Sweet potatoes want sandy, well-drained soil with a pH between 5.8 and 6.2. Loamy works too. What they absolutely hate? Sitting in water. Root rot kills more sweet potato crops than any pest ever could.

Clear out weeds and debris, then till down about 12 inches. Mixing in compost improves both structure and fertility. Probably should have led with this section, honestly — bad soil dooms everything else you do.

Starting with Slips

Here’s something that trips up beginners: you don’t plant sweet potato seeds. You plant slips, which are basically shoots grown from mature tubers.

You can buy slips from nurseries, or grow your own. Cut a sweet potato in half, stick it in water with half submerged, and wait about a month. Sprouts will appear. When they hit 6 inches, they’re ready for soil. It’s oddly satisfying watching them develop.

Planting Day

Wait until your soil hits at least 60°F. Sweet potatoes are tropical plants at heart — cold soil stunts them badly.

Space slips 12 to 18 inches apart in rows 36 to 48 inches apart. Plant deep enough to cover the roots plus about half an inch of stem. Water immediately after planting. Those first few days of moisture help establish the root system.

Watering Without Overdoing It

Consistent moisture matters, especially during dry stretches. Aim for about an inch of water weekly. But here’s the balance — overwatering leads to rotting, underwatering leads to stunted tubers.

Mulching helps retain moisture and keeps weeds down. That’s what makes mulch endearing to us vegetable gardeners — it solves multiple problems at once.

Fertilizing Strategy

A balanced fertilizer helps, but nitrogen is tricky. Too much nitrogen gives you gorgeous, lush vines and tiny potatoes. Not the trade-off you want.

Use a lower nitrogen formula once tubers start forming. Side-dress every 4 to 6 weeks during the growing season. Watch your plants — they’ll tell you if something’s off.

Dealing with Pests and Problems

Sweet potato weevils are the nemesis. Also watch for aphids and wireworms. Inspect plants regularly and use organic pesticides when things get out of hand.

Crop rotation prevents soil-borne diseases like root rot. If you spot infected plants, remove them immediately before problems spread. Don’t mess around with diseased material — it never ends well.

Harvest Time

Most varieties are ready 90 to 120 days after planting. The foliage starts yellowing when tubers are mature. Use a garden fork and dig carefully — bruised sweet potatoes spoil fast.

Then comes curing: keep harvested tubers in a warm, humid spot for about 10 days. This improves flavor and extends storage life significantly. Skip this step and you’ll have bland potatoes that don’t last.

Storage That Actually Works

Cured sweet potatoes store for months if you do it right. Cool, dark place with good ventilation. Ideal temperature is 55 to 60°F.

Whatever you do, don’t refrigerate them. Cold temperatures mess with the taste and texture in ways you can’t fix.

Quick Tips I Wish Someone Had Told Me

• Disease-resistant varieties save headaches down the road
• Rotate your planting location yearly — same spot means depleted soil and accumulated problems
• Check for pests weekly during growing season
• Consistent watering matters more than perfect watering
• Mulch is your friend for moisture and weed control

Growing sweet potatoes takes some patience, but pulling those tubers out of the ground in fall? Nothing beats that feeling. Get the basics right and you’ll have more than enough to share with neighbors.