Home » Misc » Growing sweet potato plants

Growing sweet potato plants


How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

The first step in learning how to grow sweet potatoes is discovering that they are not related to regular potatoes and are not developed the same way. Unlike regular potatoes, you can't just plant a whole sweet potato in the ground and expect a crop; it will rot underground. Sweet potatoes are grown from sweet potato slips. Slips are the stems and foliage that sprout from already grown sweet potatoes. Twist them off the potato, root them in water, then plant them. In three to four months, you should have some sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are always planted in the spring. They are slow-growing and require warm temperatures to develop full-size tubers. You can usually get three to five tubers per plant and more if you're in a warmer climate. Sweet potato plants come back every year if you live in a warmer growing zone (USDA zones 8 through 11). The orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are the most familiar, but sweet potatoes can be white, yellow, and even purple. If you have a smaller garden, you can grow bush varieties.

Learn How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

Common Name Sweet potato
Botanical Name Ipomoea batatas
Family Convolvulaceae
Plant Type Herbaceous, perennial, annual
Mature Size 2-20 ft. long
Sun Exposure Full sun, part shade
Soil Type Well-drained, sandy
Soil pH Acidic
Bloom Time Summer
Hardiness Zones 8-11 (USDA)
Native Areas North America, South America

What are the Differences Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?

​The Spruce / K. Dave  The Spruce / K. Dave ​The Spruce / K. Dave  ​The Spruce / K. Dave 

How to Plant Sweet Potatoes

When to Plant

These plants are tropical in origin, so wait until the soil has warmed up fully in spring before planting.

To give them a head start, sweet potatoes are often planted in raised rows, about 8 inches high. This helps the soil warm faster and keeps them well-drained. If you are gardening in a cooler climate, spreading black plastic on the soil will also help it warm faster.

Selecting a Planting Site

Sweet potatoes will generally thrive in any average well-drained soil in a sunny location. If your soil is too dense or rocky, consider planting sweet potatoes in raised beds filled with sandy but rich potting soil.

Spacing, Depth, and Support

Plant slips about 12 to 18 inches apart with 3 to 4 feet between rows. The vines will spread and fill in, so give them plenty of room.

Sweet Potato Care

Light

Be sure to plant your sweet potatoes in full sun to part shade. They generally prefer full sun but appreciate some afternoon shade in hot, dry regions.

Soil

Sweet potatoes prefer soil that is well-drained but high in organic matter. Sandier soil is preferable to dense, clay soil.

Water

Once established, sweet potatoes will tolerate growing in dry soil. It's best to keep it evenly moist with 1 inch of water given once a week. Don't water your sweet potatoes during the final three to four weeks prior to harvest to prevent the mature tubers from splitting. Keep the plants moist, especially during dry spells.

Temperature and Humidity

Sweet potatoes should not be planted outdoors until the temperature of the soil has warmed to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. They need soil growing temperatures between 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and an air growing temperature of 65 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Choose short-season varieties if you live in the northern part of the country.

Fertilizer

Sweet potatoes are not heavy feeders, but it's important to give them balanced nutrition, typically with proper soil preparation. Overfeeding tends to promote growth of foliage rather than tubers. The best approach is to add compost to the beds before planting the sweet potatoes. Alternatively, you can apply an organic liquid fertilizer to the soil prior to planting.

Types of Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes vs. Sweet Potato Vines

Sweet potatoes may be associated with growing only in the southern United States, but they will actually grow in just about any garden anywhere. The part we eat is the tuberous root of this warm-weather perennial vining plant. Edible sweet potatoes are closely related to morning glories (Ipomoea tricolor) and are the same species as the sweet potato vining plants commonly grown as ornamentals. The edible and ornamental types are different cultivars of Ipomoea batatas.

Harvesting Sweet Potatoes

Three to four months after planting, the tubers should be ready to harvest for eating, depending on the cultivar. If you like to eat the leaves as greens, you can do so in moderation throughout the season. Be sure to leave enough leaves to keep the plant growing.

You can dig up your tubers once the foliage starts to yellow. If the foliage is hit by a frost, the tubers are probably still fine. Just don’t let them sit in the ground too long after the tops die back or they could start to rot. Be gentle when digging. Sweet potato tubers grow close to the surface. Their skins are tender and can be damaged and bruised easily.

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes in Containers

If you want to experiment with growing edible sweet potatoes, try starting them off in containers. Sweet potatoes are easy to grow in containers. Start small plants you purchase in the spring or grow slips in pots. Loosely fill a large container of any material with lots of drainage holes with high-quality potting soil. A half-whiskey barrel is a good size. Make a hole large enough to cover the roots of your plant or slip. Water it thoroughly, and put the pot in a sunny spot. Water it thoroughly at least once a week unless it rains.

You can try to grow sweet potatoes indoors, but it is challenging. The yield is often small after a four-month wait. They require a lot of sun, heat, and water, which is harder to replicate indoors.

Pruning

Sweet potato vines will grow in a rambling fashion, but they should not be trimmed because they are important to help feed the potatoes. If your vines are wandering out of control, use your hands to turn the vines back toward the garden.

Propagating Sweet Potatoes

Propagate sweet potatoes with slips or by saving tubers for replanting. If you put a sweet potato in water, you won't get more potatoes, but it will develop slips that you can plant that will develop sweet potatoes. If your winters are longer than a couple of months, you can propagate sweet potatoes by saving tubers over the winter and planting them the following spring. If you live in an area with short winters, you can begin new slips from vine cuttings or whole potatoes.

Propagate with saved tubers using these steps:

  1. Use a shovel to carefully dig up the tubers before the first frost in the fall. Gently brush the soil off the tubers to prepare them for storage.
  2. Store them over the winter in a sturdy cardboard box filled with peat, vermiculite, sand, or other dry material. Make sure the tubers are not touching each other in the box.
  3. Keep the box in a cool, dry place without light (such as a basement or root cellar). Make sure the tubers in the box won't freeze. Place a blanket over the box to ensure warmth.
  4. In spring, the tubers will start to sprout. Divide them into pieces, making sure that each piece has at least one eye.
  5. Plant them in the garden after the threat of frost has passed and the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Propagate by creating slips from vines using these steps:

  1. Use a sterile, sharp cutting tool to snip off about 6 inches from the tips of healthy vines, before the first frost.
  2. Place the cuttings in a jar with room temperature water.
  3. Once they develop roots, plant them in pots filled with good-quality potting soil.
  4. Keep them in a sunny location until it’s time to plant them outdoors.

Propagate by creating slips from full-grown whole sweet potatoes using these steps:

  1. Use a sterile, sharp knife to cut a full sweet potato in half lengthwise.
  2. Place each half on a bed of damp potting soil using a deep tray.
  3. Cover the pieces with a few inches of soil.
  4. Keep the pieces moist and warm.
  5. Small roots should develop within a few days, followed by leaves.
  6. They are ready to be lifted and planted in containers once they’re between 4 and 8 inches tall (about six weeks). Keep them in a sunny location until it's time to plant them outdoors or in larger containers.

Overwintering

Overwintering sweet potatoes is the same as propagating them for the next growing season. Before the first fall frost, cut the vines to the ground. Carefully dig up tubers with a shovel and gently brush the soil from the tubers. Then store them in a box filled with dry material, make sure the tubers are not touching, and place the box in a cool, dry place where the tubers won't freeze. Cover the box with a blanket to make sure no light reaches the tubers.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Wireworms and root-knot nematodes are the biggest problems when growing sweet potatoes in home gardens. Damage is lessened if you rotate your crop each year. Many diseases can be avoided by choosing disease-resistant varieties and using certified disease-free sweet potato slips. Mice can also be a problem, so be on the lookout.

Watch Now: What are the Differences Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Sweet Potato Production and Pest Management in Georgia. University of Georgia Extension.

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes In Your Backyard

There's no denying the beauty of a sweet potato plant, whether it's placed on a trellis, in a garden, or a simple container. And the positives don't end there. When it comes to health benefits, sweet potatoes are worth considering as part of your diet. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients that can bolster your mind and body.

If you're curious about growing them on your own, keep in mind that they do best in a sunny vegetable garden even though they can also thrive in other areas of your outdoor space. They can even act as a temporary groundcover or function as a trailing houseplant. In a patio planter, a sweet potato vine will form a gorgeous foliage plant that you can harvest roots from in the fall.

Get More Tips

This warm-weather crop grows worldwide, from tropical regions to temperate climates. The flesh is classified as either moist or dry. Moist, deep orange types (sometimes called yams) are more popular with home gardeners, especially the varieties Centennial and Georgia Jet.

Sweet potatoes are also remarkably nutritious and versatile; each fleshy root is rich in vitamins A and C, along with many important minerals. Use them raw, boiled, or baked, in soups, casseroles, desserts, breads, or stir-fries — and don't forget to try some homemade sweet potato fries! Here's everything you need to know to grow your own sweet potatoes.

How to planting sweet potatoes:

piyaset//Getty Images

Sweet potatoes will grow in poor soil, but deformed roots may develop in heavy clay or long and stringy in sandy dirt. To create the perfect environment, create long, wide, 10-inch-high ridges spaced 3½ feet apart. (A 10-foot row will produce 8 to 10 pounds of potatoes.)

Work in plenty of compost, avoiding nitrogen-rich fertilizers that produce lush vines and stunted tubes. In the North, cover the raised rows with black plastic to keep the soil warm and promote strong growth.

It's best to plant root sprouts, called slips, available from nurseries and mail-order suppliers. (Store-bought sweet potatoes are often waxed to prevent sprouting). Save a few roots from your crop for planting next year.

About six weeks before it's time to plant sweet potatoes outdoors in your area, place the roots in a box of moist sand, sawdust, or chopped leaves in a warm spot (75 to 80 degrees). Shoots will sprout, and when they reach 6 to 9 inches long, cut them off the root. Remove and dispose of the bottom inch from each slip, as that portion sometimes harbors disease organisms.

Sweet potatoes mature in 90 to 170 days and they're extremely frost sensitive. Plant in full sun three to four weeks after the last frost when the soil has warmed. Make holes 6 inches deep and 12 inches apart. Bury slips up to the top leaves, press the soil down gently but firmly, and water well.

How to grow sweet potatoes:

Ezra Bailey

If you're not using black plastic, mulch the vines two weeks after planting to smother weeds, conserve moisture, and keep the soil loose for root development. Occasionally lift longer vines to keep them from rooting at the joints, or they will put their energy into forming many undersized tubers at each rooted area rather than ripening the main crop at the base of the plant. Otherwise, handle plants as little as possible to prevent wounds that vulnerable disease spores.

If the weather is dry, provide 1 inch of water a week until two weeks before harvesting, then let the soil dry out a bit. Don't overwater, or the plants — which can withstand dry spells better than rainy ones — may rot.

How to avoid pests:

Mila Usmanova

Southern gardeners are more likely to encounter pest problems than gardeners in Northern areas.

Sweet potato weevils — ¼-inch-long insects with dark blue heads and wings and red-orange bodies — puncture stems and tubers to lay their eggs. Developing larvae tunnel and feed on the fleshy roots, while adults generally attack vines and leaves. They also spread foot rot, which creates enlarging brown to black areas on stems near the soil and at stem ends. Since weevils multiply quickly and prove hard to eliminate, use certified disease-resistant slips and practice a four-year crop rotation. Destroy infected plants and their roots, or place in sealed containers and dispose of them with household trash.

Related Story

Fungal diseases include black rot, which results in circular, dark depressions on tubers. Discard infected potatoes, and cure the undamaged roots from the same crop carefully. Don't confuse this disease with less-serious scurf, which creates small, round, dark spots on tuber surfaces but doesn't affect eating quality.

Stem rot, or wilt, is a fungus that enters plants injured by insects, careless cultivation, or wind. Even if this disease doesn't kill the plants, the harvest will be poor. Minimize the chances of disease by planting only healthy slips; avoid black and stem rot by planting resistant cultivars. Reduce the incidence of dry rot, which mummifies stored potatoes, by keeping the fleshy roots at 55 to 60 degrees.

Harvesting sweet potatoes:

piyaset//Getty Images

You can harvest as soon as leaves start to yellow, but the longer a crop is left in the ground, the higher the yield and vitamin content. Once frost blackens the vines, however, tubers can quickly rot.

Use a spading fork to dig tubers on a sunny day when the soil is dry. Remember that tubers can grow a foot or more from the plant, and that any nicks on their tender skins will encourage spoilage. Dry tubers in the sun for several hours, then move them to a well-ventilated spot and keep at 85 to 90 degrees for 10 to 15 days. After they are cured, store at around 55 degrees, with a humidity of 75 to 80%. Properly cured and stored sweet potatoes will keep for several months.

Must-Have Supplies to Grow Sweet Potatoes
True Temper Bedding Fork

$66 at Amazon

Miracle-Gro Garden Soil

$8 at Home Depot

Soil Blend Super Compost

$39 at Home Depot

Frost King Plastic Sheeting

Now 13% Off

$11 at Amazon


How to Grow Sweet Potatoes in the Garden - Tips for Those Who Want to Experiment with Sweet Potatoes - AgroXXI

Although the sweet potato is called the sweet potato, it actually belongs to the Convolvulaceae family of the genus Ipomoea. You will see this for yourself when you see sweet potato plants during flowering and learn about the agricultural technology of growing

Sweet potatoes are a heat-loving summer crop. It is not suitable for cool or cold climates, nor for a short growing season. In a number of Russian regions, we deal with both factors. But that doesn't mean that growing sweet potatoes in your backyard is bound to fail! nine0004

Cold hardy and early maturing varieties of sweet potato are not well represented on the market (although it is written on the Internet that there are supposedly “many” such varieties), in fact, only Covington, an improved early variety, is widely known from those sold abroad, which will ripen in short seasonal zones with proper care. The tubers of this variety have bright orange flesh with a beautiful, dark pink skin.

If you can't get seed early ripe yam, you can experiment with growing store-bought sweet potatoes. nine0004

Sweet potatoes reproduce differently than regular potatoes. You will need to get a shoot so that a vine can already grow from it.

It is necessary to start the experiment at least 3 months before planting. End of January - beginning of February is the right time if you want to get seedlings at the end of May.

Our growing season is very short, the only way to extend it is through seedlings.

So, wash the tuber and place it halfway in a container of water, securing it with toothpicks. Like this. nine0004

Now place the jar in a sunny, warm, draught-free window and allow the potatoes to firm up for about a week after being on the store counter.

Transfer the potatoes to a tray filled with soil. Drain holes do not need to be punched, as sweet potatoes prefer moist soil, not overdried soil, therefore, water regularly.

Once the leaves have grown, peel them off and place them in your own water jar. Do not be alarmed if at first it seems to you that the roots are too small, they will go into intensive growth after transplanting into the soil. nine0004

Container growing sweet potatoes in the garden

If you really want to be successful in a short growing season, plant rooted cuttings in a large container. A small pot won't work. Depth must be at least 30 cm and width 40 cm.

Pre-harden by opening a window on warm days. Transplanting to the final location will occur approximately 4 weeks after the last frost.

The container can be placed in the greenhouse next to the tomatoes, peppers or in a sunny area. The advantage of the container is that the soil warms up better. nine0004

Sweet potatoes like loose, well-drained soil with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5.

You can use store-bought potting mix with compost, or make your own by mixing 1/3 compost, 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss.

Seedlings should be spaced 30 cm apart. Cover the stem with about 1.5 cm of soil.

After planting, water your plants well and protect them from cold nights if the container is in an open area. Build a mini-greenhouse out of foil hoops or create a wind barrier out of old windows. Anything that gives the plants more warmth will work. nine0004

Mulching with clean straw at the root zone is important for container growing, as moisture evaporates faster than in the bed.

Sweet potatoes produce long stems. In the greenhouse, it makes sense to stretch the ropes to support the stems, in the open air - to make a lattice support.

Cut off growing points of vines that extend beyond 60 cm to encourage the development of side stems. Don't forget that you can eat these leaves, which taste like spinach and are just as healthy. nine0004

To fertilize sweet potatoes in the vegetable garden, spray with liquid foliar fertilizer Folirus Start.

Harvest

An early maturing variety, if you are lucky enough to get one, will ripen in about 90-100 days, but count on 150 days if you bought tubers in a store.

Harvest according to the color of the leaves. Sweet potatoes are ready to be harvested when the foliage begins to turn yellow. You can leave the potted plants in light frosts, but the tubers must be dug up before frost hits. nine0004

Remember that sweet potatoes break more easily than traditional ones, the skin is very thin during harvest. Dig them up carefully, and then store them in a warm place for 6-8 weeks to improve the taste.

The easiest solution is to take plastic grocery bags, punch a few holes in them, and fill them with enough sweet potatoes so that there is only one layer in each bag. Tie up the bags and place on the warmest and sunniest window sill for 10 days. If there is no sun, cover the bags with a towel or blanket. nine0004

After that, store the harvest at a temperature of about 12-15 ° C without access to light, wrapping the tubers individually with newspaper or simply spreading them on a paper backing.

After the curing period, the potatoes will become sweeter and their skins will harden for storage for a long time.

Is the sweet potato worth the effort? Considering its reputation as a superfood, it is. Tubers contain only 90 kcal per 100 g and are saturated with vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and fiber. Baked with sour cream, sweet potato is a delicious dish! nine0004

Interested in a topic? Subscribe to personal news in ZEN | Pulse.Mail.ru | VK.News | Google.News .

Growing and planting sweet potatoes - Agro-Market24

Sweet potato is a crop that is also called sweet potato. Even though the plant has tubers that look a bit like the traditional potato, it has nothing to do with it.

What are sweet potatoes

It is worth noting that the culture belongs to the Vyunkov family. Potato is a representative of the Solanaceae. Sweet potato is a fairly long liana that can grow up to 1-5 m. The shoots spread along the ground and gradually form thickets, the height of which can reach from 15 to 20 cm.

A dozen years ago, gardeners did not use this crop for cultivation. Now it is popular and in demand among farmers in the middle zone. This is due to the fact that sweet potato has nutritional value and beneficial properties. Depending on the variety chosen, the tubers may resemble banana, beetroot, melon, pumpkin, chestnuts in taste. nine0004

In addition, sweet potatoes are very unpretentious in agricultural technology. It is suitable for growing by professional and beginner gardeners. If you follow simple rules and recommendations, you can get a bountiful harvest.

The main characteristics of the plant include:

  • The crop has a creeping stem that can reach several meters in length.
  • Bushes are low (up to 20 cm).
  • The leaves are heart-shaped or palmately lobed. nine0101
  • The culture is thermophilic. The optimal temperature regime for its development is from +20 to +35 degrees Celsius.
  • Flowering occurs with the appearance of fairly large flowers that are white, lilac or creamy pink in color.
  • The plant is drought tolerant.

Unlike ordinary potatoes, sweet potato tubers can have not only a smooth, but also a bumpy surface. Depending on the variety, their shape may differ. Root crops have a fairly large mass. On average, they weigh about 1 kg, although some reach 2 kg. nine0004

It is worth noting that one hundred varieties of plants are divided into two groups - vegetable and dessert. The main difference is in the color of the pulp. In vegetable varieties, it is yellow or white, and in dessert varieties it is pink, orange, sometimes light. It is worth noting that any varieties contain glucose, which is why the fruits have a sweetish aftertaste.

Separately, it is worth highlighting ornamental varieties that are used as a covering plant.

Sweet potato cultivation

The first varieties of sweet potatoes were grown exclusively in the tropics and subtropics. This was due to the fact that the root crops ripened for a long time - about 180 days. Modern varieties have a shorter ripening period. They are suitable for growing in the middle lane and they have enough summer.

Growing sweet potato seedlings

Unlike potatoes, sweet potato tubers do not sink into the ground. They do not have seeds. Sweet potato cultivation is carried out only with the preliminary development of seedlings. You can get it in the following ways: nine0004

  • Sprouting in a container with water.
  • Germination in a container with soil.

In the first option, a suitable container (jar) for the tuber is selected. It is placed in it in such a way that 30% remains above the water. Over time, sprouts form on it, which are separated from the tuber and placed in the ground for rooting. The root crop is left in the water to obtain more cuttings.

When germinating seedlings in a box with soil, it is necessary to select a container with a height of 15-20 cm. The best mixture for this is sand, humus and soddy soil in equal parts. nine0004

Root crops are laid on the surface of the soil in a horizontal position, after which they are deepened and sprinkled with sand (the layer should be about 3 cm). Over time, cuttings are formed, which are separated and placed in other rooting containers.

When the shoots have roots, they can be planted in open ground. This is done when the frost has passed.

Planting sweet potatoes

Not many people know how to plant sweet potatoes. First of all, it is necessary to choose the optimal site. For this, a place with good lighting and protection from the wind is suitable. The best option as soil is fertile land. The worse the soil, the slower the crop grows and the worse the root crops are formed. nine0004

Fertilizers can be used to improve the result and stimulate the development of the plant. In the autumn, before digging, it is recommended to make compost, potassium sulfate and superphosphate.

The peculiarities of cultivation include the fact that the culture grows very wide. Because of this, you need to give her a lot of space. The traditional planting pattern is 70 by 70 cm. To save space, you can use another method, in which 25 cm remains between the bushes, and the gap between rows is 1 m. Under such conditions, the stems of the bushes are intertwined and tightly cover the soil. This, in turn, ensures compliance with the best microclimate, in which the earth does not heat up much in hot weather and retains moisture. nine0004


Sweet potato cultivation and care

Many gardeners prefer the horizontal method of planting cuttings in open ground. In the case of its use, the sprouts are planted almost horizontally to the surface of the earth. In this case, the roots are formed almost the same size.

During the summer, it is recommended to do 1-2 top dressings with mineral complexes. Potassium gives good results, as well as ash. If the culture began to change the shade of the foliage (redness, yellowing, purple appeared), this is the first signal that there is not enough potassium, which is necessary for laying the crop. nine0004

Sweet potato has good drought tolerance. In the first month, regular moisturizing is carried out, after which it can be reduced.

Learn more