Sweet potato
Vegetable · warm season · also called yam, kumara
When to plant
- Start seeds indoors about 6 weeks before planting out.
- Plant outdoors about 3 weeks after your average last spring frost.
- Ready to harvest about 100 days after planting out.
Grow or buy slips. Dig before soil drops below 50°F.
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Spacing
- 12–18 in
- Soil temperature
- At least 65°F
- Time to harvest
- About 100 days
- Containers
- At least 10 gallons
- Plant family
- Other
- Harvest per plant
- About 2 lb
Companions
Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.
Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.
Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.
Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.
Varieties to try
- Georgia Jet 90 days: fastest; best for short seasons
- Beauregard 100 days: most common, reliable
- Covington 110 days: uniform, stores well
Pests and problems
Grow it well
Sweet potato seeds on Amazon (opens a new tab)Fabric grow bags on Amazon (opens a new tab)Soaker hose on Amazon (opens a new tab)
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