How to Grow Sweet Potatoes
Ipomoea batatas
Heat-loving tropical roots grown from slips for a big fall dig.
By the Plants by Zone Editorial Team · Reviewed June 1, 2026
About sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are tender, heat-loving vines grown not from seed but from "slips" — rooted sprouts taken from a mature tuber. They sprawl happily through the hottest summers and store their energy in sweet, nutritious roots. A long, warm season is the main requirement for a heavy harvest.
When to plant and harvest sweet potatoes
Timing is relative to your frost dates. Find your USDA zone for exact dates, or browse the month-by-month calendars.
Start seeds indoors
Start slips from a tuber 6–8 weeks before planting out
Transplant outdoors
Plant slips 3–4 weeks after last frost, soil 65°F+
Direct sow
Not applicable — use slips
Harvest
Fall, before soil cools or frost
How to grow sweet potatoes step by step
- 1
Make slips by suspending a sweet potato half in water until it sprouts, then root the sprouts.
- 2
Wait for warm soil (65°F+) and settled weather before planting slips out.
- 3
Plant in loose, sandy soil or mounded ridges so roots can expand.
- 4
Water through establishment; mature vines are quite drought-tolerant.
- 5
Let the vines sprawl as a living mulch — minimal care all summer.
- 6
Dig carefully before frost, then cure to sweeten the roots.
Common problems growing sweet potatoes
⚠ Lots of vine, few roots
Too much nitrogen or shade — keep feeding light and give full sun in loose soil.
⚠ Cracked or knobby roots
Inconsistent moisture or heavy soil — grow in loose, sandy beds and water evenly.
⚠ Wireworms or weevils tunneling roots
Rotate beds yearly and harvest promptly; avoid planting where issues occurred before.
✗ Keep away from
🧺 Harvesting sweet potatoes
Dig gently with a fork before the first frost, since cold soil damages the roots, and handle them carefully — the skins are tender at harvest. Cure in a warm, humid spot for about 10 days to heal the skins and convert starch to sugar for that signature sweetness.
Sweet Potatoes: frequently asked questions
What are sweet potato slips?＋
They’re rooted sprouts grown from a mature sweet potato. You plant the slips, not seeds — one tuber can produce a dozen or more.
Do sweet potatoes need curing?＋
Yes. Curing in warmth and humidity for about ten days heals the skin and turns starch into sugar, dramatically improving flavor and storage.
Grow sweet potatoes in your zone
See exactly when to plant and what else to grow alongside sweet potatoes, tailored to your USDA hardiness zone.
When to plant sweet potatoes by zone:
