Learn how to grow delicious Sweet Potato in your own organic garden at home.

Soil

What soil is good for Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet Potato prefers loose, well draining soil with plenty of compost mixed in. 

Position

How much sun do Sweet Potatoes need?

Plant your Sweet Potato in a full sun position for best results. Plants will tolerate some afternoon shade.

Frost Tolerant

Are Sweet Potatoes frost tolerant?

No. Sweet Potato vines are frost tender. 

Spacing

How much space do Sweet Potatoes need?

Plant Sweet Potato roughly 40cm apart. 

Planting

When should I plant Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet Potato are warm season crops and prefer to be grown in temperatures in above  21°C (70°F).

Plant 'slips' that grow from sprouting tubers in spring once the soil has warmed and once the danger of frost has passed.

Feeding

What do I feed Sweet Potatoes?

Apply an organic fertiliser to your Sweet Potato vines throughout the season. 

Harvesting

When can I harvest Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet Potato Tubers are usually ready for harvest roughly 4 months from planting in warmer climates and 6 months in cooler climates. To harvest, pull back the vines to reveal their base and use a garden fork to gently loosen the soil to find the Potatoes. Harvest as required or pull the entire vine out for a complete harvest. Both the leaves and the tubers are edible. 

Pests

What pests do Sweet Potatoes get?

Pests that can affect Sweet Potato include: Aphids, Snail, Slug, Sweet Potato Stem Borer, White Grub, Mealybug, Mice, Rats. 

Diseases

What diseases do Sweet Potatoes get?

Diseases that can affect Sweet Potato include: Alternaria leaf spot & Leaf and Stem Blight, Black Rot, Fusarium Root and Stem Rot, Sweet Potato Virus. 

Notes

Is there anything else I need to know about Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet Potato are hardy plants that are for the most part, pest and disease free.

Sweet Potato form a dense green ground cover. Tubers are often found some distance away from the plant's primary crown so be sure to dig carefully and thoroughly.   

Something Similar

You might also like