Try Growing Sweet Potatoes This Year!

I am very excited that 2023 is the “Year of Sweet Potatoes” for Grow It Eat It, the statewide food gardening program run by University of Maryland Extension (UME) Master Gardener (MG) Volunteers.

This member of the morning glory family is an amazing and nutritious vegetable crop. Plants grow rapidly with minimal care and produce edible new shoots and leaves and delicious roots that can be stored through the fall and winter.

Reasons to grow sweet potatoes: climate-resilient crop, few pest and disease problems, easy to grow — *Graphic design: Steph Pully*

The Growing Sweet Potatoes in a Home Garden webpage has the detailed information you need for success. I’m sharing some tips in this article that I hope will further entice you to join the fun!

Getting started

Pick a full-sun location.
Use a garden fork, spade, or tiller to loosen the top 10-12 inches of soil
Mix compost into the soil prior to planting
Space plants 1 foot apart in the row or 2 feet apart in each direction if planting in a wide bed
Stick a flag or marker in the ground next to each plant so you’ll know where to dig when it’s time to harvest

Varieties and plants (“slips”)

Georgia Jet, Centennial, O’Henry, Murasaki, Beauregard, and Covington are some recommended varieties. Vardaman, and Bunch (Bush) Puerto Rico have compact vines and take up less space
Sweet potato plants produce few flowers and little or no viable seed. They are propagated year-to-year by sprouts (baby plants aka “slips”) that grow from stored sweet potatoes

Finding sweet potatoes - local garden centers, nurseries, mail-order companies — *Graphic design: Steph Pully*

sweet potato plants growing in a container — *This small container produced enough “slips” for several gardens. The Start and Multiply Sweet Potatoes video shows you how to grow your own “slips” in 5-6 weeks. Photo: Jon Traunfeld*

baby sweet potato plant — This baby plant, pulled from a mother sweet potato, is ready to plant in the garden. It’s
already developing a root system! Photo: Jon Traunfeld

General growing tips

Water young plants 1-2 times per week if rain is lacking
Fertilize as needed; soils high in organic matter may not need to be fertilized
Control weeds the first month after planting. Vines will grow rapidly and shade out weeds
Vines can be trimmed back 20-30% without significantly reducing the harvest
Use new leaves and shoots fresh in salads or in soups, stir-fries, omelettes, etc.
Sweet potatoes have fewer pests and diseases than most other garden crops! Fence out deer and groundhogs and check the enlarging roots for vole (meadow mouse) feeding.

sweet potato plant growing in a pot — Sweet potatoes grow well in containers, including fabric bags as shown in this photo. I usually suggest planting one plant in a 10-gallon although a co-worker recently told me she harvested around five pounds of sweet potatoes from a 5-gallon bucket! Photo: Jon Traunfeld

sweet potatoes growing on a bamboo trellis — *Save space by training vines to grow vertically. These sweet potato plants growing on a bamboo trellis at the UME Master Gardener Learning Garden at the Maryland State Fair. Photo: Jon Traunfeld*

large Korean sweet potatoes have a nutty flavor — This large Korean sweet potato, also called chestnut sweet potato because of its nutty flavor, is my favorite to grow and eat. They are very productive, store very well, and have a firm texture, making them more versatile in the kitchen than most other varieties. Photo: Jon Traunfeld

Harvesting tips

Sweet potatoes are ready to harvest 85-120 days after planting (depends on variety)
Storage roots don’t stop growing. Check for size when plants reach their expected harvest date.
Harvest roots as soon as they reach eating size and before a frost. Roots can crack and become woody when overgrown
Loosen the soil about 1 foot from the base of the plant. Use your hands to find and lift the roots
Treat them with tender care. Gently remove excess soil; don’t wash!

newly harvested sweet potatoes laying on sheets of newspaper — *Newly dug storage roots curing in mid-September on my porch. Photo: Jon Traunfeld*

Curing and storage tips

Curing improves the flavor, quality, and longevity of harvested roots. It toughens the skin, heals cuts, bruises and scrapes, and promotes the conversion of starches to sugars
Commercial sweet potatoes are cured for 7-14 days at 85⁰ F and 90% RH. One week of curing during warm, humid weather in a protected, outdoor location is helpful. Don’t worry if that’s not possible. Your sweet potatoes will still be sweet and tasty
Store sweet potatoes in a cool, humid location – basements work well
Use slatted crates, baskets, or cardboard boxes. Fill only 2-3 layers deep
Check for and remove spoiled roots

sweet potatoes stored in boxes — *Sweet potatoes being stored for the winter. Roots that were accidentally cut during harvest have healed over. Photo: Jon Traunfeld*

Check with your county/city Extension office to learn more about vegetable classes and workshops, and demonstration gardens.

Resources:

Growing Sweet Potatoes in a Home Garden (HGIC)
How to Start and Multiply Sweet Potato Plants Video (HGIC)
Sweet Potatoes and Yams (USDA)
The Makings of a Good Sweet Potato (USDA)
NC Sweet Potato Commission Lesson Plans

By Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist, University of Maryland Extension, Home & Garden Information Center. Read more posts by Jon.

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