Sweet potatoes not only taste sweet and delicious, but they are nutritious as well. Sweet potatoes contain antioxidants, blood sugar regulating nutrients, and anti-inflammatory nutrients. On top of all of that, sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins as well! Here are our tips on how to grow your own sweet potatoes.
We recommend planting sweet potatoes in full sun once the soil temperature has warmed up to 60 degrees and nighttime temperatures are also above 60 degrees. These conditions tend to occur about 3-4 weeks after the final spring frost. Just to be safe we recommend checking the soil temperature. In Northern Ohio the soil temperature is approximately the temperature of Lake Erie. We recommend planting sweet potatoes in a raised beds or mound because it helps improve drainage and heats up quicker than planting straight in a bed. Work in 2” of compost or Pro-mix Premium Organic Vegetable and Herb Mix and space sweet potatoes plants 1 foot apart and 4 feet between rows.
Sweet potatoes require regular even watering until they are established. One great way to avoid overwatering is using a drip hose to water. Keep beds weed free for best results.
The best way to know when sweet potatoes are mature is to keep track of the number of days since planting. An estimated number of days until harvest written on the sign in the greenhouse and can be found in a growing guide or online. Be sure to harvest them before the first frost. Sweet potatoes are easily bruised so be careful with them when harvesting. We recommend loosening up the soil with a spading fork and then lifting the tubers out gently. Cure tubers for 10 -14 days in a dry dark place with ventilation before using.
Stop by the greenhouse to check out our sweet potato plants the rest of our vegetable selection.
References:
