Vegetable · Tuber
Sweet Potato
Ipomoea batatas
A warm-season vine grown from rooted slips for its sweet, starchy storage root. Needs a long, warm season and sprawls widely unless kept in check.
At a glance
Water
Medium
32–48 fl oz/wk
Light
Full sun
6–8 hrs/day
Space
Large
15 in
To maturity
90–120 days
Edible parts: Root
Family: Morning Glory
Includes sweet potato and morning glory vines. Sweet potato's edible root is a swollen storage root, not a true tuber, unlike white potato in the nightshade family.
Harvest
Dig roots before the first frost once vines begin to yellow, usually 90-120 days after planting; cure before storing to sweeten and toughen the skin.
Growing conditions
- Temperature
- 65–90 °F
- Soil pH
- 5–6.5
- Soil type
- Light, sandy loam; tolerates heavier soil if amended with compost
- Climate
- Warm-season, frost-tender; needs a long, hot season (roughly 100+ frost-free days) to size up.
- Growing season
- Plant rooted slips 2-3 weeks after the last frost once soil is reliably warm.
- Nitrogen
- Low (≈15–30 ppm)
- Humidity
- Medium (≈40–70 %)
- Planting unit
- Cutting
- Feeding schedule
- Keep nitrogen modest and favour potassium - excess nitrogen pushes vine growth at the expense of root size.
- Pest resistance
- Moderate - watch for wireworms and sweet potato weevil where present
- Pests
- Wireworms: Slender, hard-bodied beetle larvae that live in soil and tunnel into roots and tubers.
- Pruning
- None required; vines can be lifted occasionally to stop them rooting at the nodes if space is limited.
Where it grows
- In-Ground GardenIdeal— Needs a long, warm season and room for vines to sprawl.
- Raised BedIdeal— Loose, well-drained soil in a raised bed suits root formation well.
- Container / PotPossible— Needs a very large container (15-20 gallon) with room for vines to trail.
- HydroponicNot recommended— Root formation doesn't suit standard hydroponic systems.
- Vertical / TrellisNot recommended— Vines can be trained upward but tubers still need in-ground room to form.
- WindowsillNot recommended— Needs far more light, warmth, and room than a windowsill offers.
Companions & antagonists
No known companion pairings yet.
Sources
- Growing Sweet Potatoes in a Home Garden — University of Maryland Extension
- Sweet Potato Production — Oklahoma State University Extension