Planting Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato is a warm season vegetable in the Convolvulaceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.
Transplant young plants outdoors 2–4 weeks after your last frost, once the danger of frost has passed.
Spacing and Planting Depth
Give Sweet Potato room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.
| Spacing in row | 12 inches |
|---|---|
| Row spacing | 36 inches |
| Plants per sq ft | 0.33 |
| Planting depth | 3 inches |
| Sun requirement | Full sun |
Days to Maturity
Sweet Potato reaches maturity in 90–120 days from sowing.
Sweet Potato is ready to harvest after about 105 days. Harvest before the first fall frost, which will end the plant's productive season.
Conditions and Care
As a warm-season vegetable, Sweet Potato needs warm soil and settled weather to thrive, and is set back or killed by frost. It is frost tender, so wait until all danger of frost has passed before planting out and harvest before the first fall frost.
Sweet Potato needs full sun — give it at least six hours of direct light a day for the best growth and flavor. Sow seed about 3 inches deep, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.
Sweet Potato belongs to the Convolvulaceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Sweet Potato is generally grown as a single planting each season rather than succession sown.
Companion Plants
Pairing Sweet Potato with the right neighbors can improve growth and deter pests; a few combinations are best avoided.
Grows well with: Bush Beans (Snap), Marigold (French)
Growing Notes
Grown from slips; needs warm soil.