Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes prefer loose, well-drained sandy loam at pH 5.8-6.2 and warm soil. Use modest fertilizer guided by a soil test; excess nitrogen encourages vines instead of storage roots, and repeatedly rooting vines can complicate harvest.

Sun

Full sun

Water

Even moisture; about 1 in/week including rain

Spacing

12 in

First harvest

90–120 days

Tips

• Plant slips 12-18 inches apart, burying several stem nodes while leaving the growing tip above soil.
• Water well during establishment and supply about 1 inch weekly during root enlargement, easing irrigation before harvest.
• Let vines spread without routinely cutting them back, and avoid extra nitrogen unless a soil test calls for it.
• Check for chewed foliage and root damage from wireworms or sweet potato weevils where present.
• Dig roots before freezing weather and cure them around 80-85°F in high humidity for 7-10 days before storage.

Plant rooted slips once frost danger has passed and soil is at least 65°F.

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