I don’t know if it just didn’t like the soil or if I didn’t water enough. Early potato varieties require 60 to 100 cool days to reach harvest. You can eat sweet potato leaves yourself and it takes several meals to reduce yields of the tubers. I was given 3 sweet potato slips about a year and a half ago. I have written plenty already in previous years about harvesting, so I won’t go into it here. Let them cure for a week or 10 days to help heal small nicks and toughen the skin. Fingers crossed for a good harvest! There are many many variables with sweets (as with every vegetable). I’ve also been known to tuck old quilts and towels around tender plants to protect them temporarily from cold and frost. I have several people waiting in line to take the excess. Any suggestions on how to improve yield? Just-harvested sweet potatoes taste nothing like you’d hope. Then filled with a mixture of wood shavings clean topsoil and dried manure and planted the slips. That split root can likely still be used, but won’t store nearly as long as the rest. Can you tell me how to save for next year. I live in tucson and I have yet to have luck. And I’ve already laid them in drawers lined with brown paper bags in my basement. I use a bit of olive oil & sea salt and saute in a pan until thoroughly cooked. Planning on growing them again next year? Christina, Any idea as to what I’m doing wrong? Yes, I do trim the roots a bit. All three plantings came to life. Thanks for the tip, Debbie! I used lots of I’m really glad I did some reasearch and found your site or I would have treated my sweet potatoe like a potato /: I’m trying for the first time because I love my fresh red potatoes Might be a bit late but I’m in northern az and our summers are pretty much 9 months long (; with me everything I grow is hit or miss so we shall see. Carefully lift the plant and remove the potatoes you need. I’d suggest doing a small “test” harvest on one plant to see how they look, and then go from there. Sadly when I was harvesting I split one tuber so I’m not sure of that will affect their keeping. That’s impressive. I’m so excited…..my first try at sweet potatoes, and just harvested them today. Thanks again. Last year’s tubers were stored in a cardboard box on the floor of my pantry and were still edible when this year’s crop started to come in. Olive oil, I generally store them a couple layers deep in plastic storage bins in a spare closet. Hello, I planted sweet potatoes for the first time this year. Thanks so much for your comment, Hannah! I pulled all our from the tires. Yum! My sweetyyys turns rubbery what did I do wrong Some vegetables look a little sad or worn out by the end of the summer, but not sweet potatoes. Any advice much appreciated. I don’t know what to expect on quantity but I planted at least 6 “plants” purchased from the market or a store. Temperatures range from mid-60s to mid-70s, and they seem to do just fine. My second problem: We leave for Naples, Florida, around Thanksgiving. Now I do not know which ones are which and whether they will mature at the same time. Have to go no going to In the meantime, if you want to read about how to cure your sweets right now, check out this article in Mother Earth News: Grow Sweet Potatoes — Even in the North. It’s no wonder the sweets escaped. My guess would be that they might dry out too quickly, but I’m not certain about that. My favorite is a purple sweet that I got from our local organic market. I used to eat collard and kale This is my first big vegetable garden, and i planted sweet potatoes. I wonder if I could drag the pot indoors if a particular night was questionable? And, it’s not just the density of the harvest. I have another question, I was told by an older woman, that the leaves were eadable, cook them like fresh spinach, has any one tried this, truth is I’m a little scared, don’t want to pioson my family. Thank you, Dawn, Your biggest harvest should be directly under where the main plant is rooted, but you may also have smaller tubers scattered wherever the vines have rooted. You have permission to edit this article. However, given enough time, I suspect they will grow back. This year I planted 36 slips and will be harvesting them in 3-4 weeks. In fact, there’s no magical “ready” time. Grab a digging fork and start turning the soil beneath your plant. His instructions on them were, plant the day after mother’s day in a hill. Those original two pounds of sweet potatoes produced more slips than I needed. Perlite and vermiculite are both often used to increase water retention (this is why they are so commonly seen in potting mixes), but sweet potatoes don’t want to grow in soil that retains water. At the Southern Nevada Research Center, Beauregard produced the largest crop out of the 5 trial varieties and had very little damage due to insects and pests. The website also has canning & freezing instructions, related events and fun and listings for every other state and many countries! I had a couple of sweet potatoes that had started to eye so I used what I could for mashed potatoes and planted the eyes. I had a store bought sweet potatoe that sprouted roots and some green leaves I cut it in half and stuck it in 2 pots and started watering. I live in the Tampa area of Florida and was am wondering if this area would be too hot for them above ground. If they are too dry for regular roasting, you should still be able to use them in soups or stews, or mixed with other, moister, root vegetables. Things grow quick, but not real plentiful. So, perhaps harvest them a few weeks before the monsoon season begins? Please share your stories in the comments section below. Congrats on your harvest, Sue! The vines are now everywhere, even growing up the fence on the southern garden perimeter! According to the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture, 261 Virginia farms produced sweet potatoes for fresh market consumption, more than double the 120 farms that grew them in 2012. My basement is usually cooler so it probably won’t even be 60 down there. I don’t use any fertilizer on my sweet potatoes or in the rest of my garden for that matter. Stir fry them. That are looking great. I do eat the leaves and Otherwise, just wait about 120 days for both. Getting started growing sweet potatoes Growing sweet potatoes is very easy, but it requires some patience … Harvest Time Matters. Thanks again. This means you will normally have an earlier harvest also. Once the soil cools to around 50 degrees F, the quality and storage life of the sweet potato is reduced. waiting to see how it turns out, it’s summer here now. I clearly have two types. If you didn’t use those tubers, you totally can next time. Thanks Cristina I did buy sand and was going to do exactly what you The entire garden is doing really well, I'm so pleased with it and like a little kid to realize that I actually grew these vegies ! Clues that sweet potatoes are ready to harvest. Any ideas from anyone would be appreciated. We should all be investing in sweet potatoes. Wow! The yard has very little top soil and lots of red clay which doesn’t make for a good growing environment. They are very pretty! I suspect curing probably helps toughen the skin and seal cuts, as you mention, but my sweets haven’t really suffered for skipping it. So – yes, I “robbed” a few. Later i learned how to start my own. The roots look like long vines but no sweet potatoes. I’m in NJ and this was the first season I grew sweet potatoes. I think I will take your advice and wait a few weeks. Ok I have a question that I’ve never seen mentioned anywhere… Your freshly harvested sweets in the picture above are “rooty” do you clip those roots or cure then clip?? Hoping to harvest soon. I know that sweets will grow happily in unlined baskets too, so don’t sweat it if you decide to skip that step. I also have a bin growing slips from a store-bought sweet potato this summer. Next time try working in about 1/4 to 1/3 sand into your soil+compost. I did all the right things and they do not look right on the inside. I live near orchards, so I think I could round up some bushel baskets. Vines are now in compost pile. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. @Sidney, this is my 3rd year planting sweet potatoes and I have yet to sample the leaves. This year, I’m going to use the spare closet in the guest room. Congrats!! I think you’d have better luck adding coarse sand to your soil, Sidney. Hundreds of pounds of sweet potatoes! I will try some of the leaves sauté though. We’re in New Jersey, so maybe I will give these a try next year! I got all my questions answered in one place. Thanks for the information on your site and have it now in my Bookmarks. We will see how it goes. Wow! But it is actually sweeter than the regular sweet potato. You can also harvest sweet potatoes earlier than this, when they are slightly immature. To be honest, I no longer try to cure my sweet potatoes. But, I can tell you that, as a rule, they prefer consistent heat, sandy and mildly fertile soil, and full sun. The pumpkins in my garden are another discussion — one plant has produced so far 4 25+lb monsters and a few smaller ones, 100 days from seed to harvest. in ground or planter. Thank you, Early potatoes are the best choice for southern regions where summers are very warm or hot. Hope you all do well with yours. So glad you’re finding the post helpful, Susan, and congrats on those happy plants! This is a short video on my experience. You’ll find more about my experience here: http://www.outlawgarden.com/2013/10/31/no-more-bushel-baskets/. I will leave the rest buried until I return. I’m hoping that the sun beaming on the brick wall of the house will hold the heat and help keep the plants warm enough to last another month. It sounds like you may have another month of growing season before that’s even a possibility, so hopefully your remaining sweets will bulk up some more. First year for me growing Sweets and I did ok but always room for improvement. How many slips do you put in your basket? On OCT 7th.2016 Very happy again.with my harvest This year I for the first time harvest all the Vines.Tgere is a Market for them. Harvesting sweet potatoes is a bit labor intensive, particularly in heavy clay soil. The Virginia Irish Potato and the Virginia Sweet Potato Board are both located in Onley. One of the easiest edibles to start off with is the humble potato. Don’t throw your sweets. The first year, I planted a yellow variety. I think you’re totally fine with that tuber. You may also need to dig if you grew in containers. My biggest tubers and best-producing plants were all in full or nearly full sun. A few weeks ago we had a chilly spell (20c) so I moved the containers to the other side of the house and put them next to the house. Thanks! Expect to dig up an area about the size of a hulu hoop around your plants. They are hardy green and full of blooms. There’s no real trick for harvesting sweets. Just went out to see how they were growing underground and found a big root heading beneath my huge cherry tomato plant, which I don’t want to disturb. We aren’t really in the ideal climate for tropical plants, but I’m hoping to get lucky with lots of love and attention. It sounds like you have done an excellent job building up your garden soil! Upon harvesting I suffered a few broken tubers and I’m wondering if I can use them in a hash for breakfast tomorrow or something else rather then letting them go to waste. Sweets are definitely worth a try. Looks like I’ll be needing to stock up on sweet potato recipes for this winter. The compost provides lots of nitrogen which helps the vines grow. As for the rest, I have to admit I’m no expert on Florida gardens. I’m going to plant earlier this next year so I can harvest in September and allowing them to cure a few day. Some of my harvest so far are ginormous — almost soccerball sized and 5 to 6lbs each. Love your blog, and consistently referred to it during my whole first year experience. Keep up the good work. I harvested them about a week ago and filled a 5 gallon bucket to overflowing. I didn’t read about the curing period until just now. Sweets seem to be fairly non-picky about their storage conditions. From edible landscapes and front yard vegetable gardens, to incorporating native plants and attracting pollinators, if you've ever questioned the "rules" of vegetable gardening, this site is for you! Congratulations! If you have enough warning, though, try draping a heavy-weight garden fabric over your sweet potato bed before the rain starts, and remove it … The rest (very small) I made into sweet potato chips and fries…couldn’t wait to cure them! Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. In fact, this may be a good sign. Also, if you can resist, don’t wash the dirt off them. When they get this big, I know they’re ready to harvest. I keep mine in open plastic tubs that I stash in an unused closet. Would you like to receive our daily news? I have saved the two largest for next year, and will grow them in a sunnier location. Those are certainly pretty that you have there and especially the bigger ones, and you can use the small ones to stew, freeze, make pies or put a small amount in raw salads; would not use too many that way for might cause diarrhea, at least they do to me. hi I’m in the Uk and have just harvested my first crop of Beauregard grown in a container. Do you think they might smell? Have you got a link with pictures so I can determine which is what? You’ll find a lot of information about growing them here, including in the comments: http://www.outlawgarden.com/2012/04/25/grow-your-own-sweet-potatoes/. Found another way to eat sweet potato leaves. Virginia red clay does make for some interesting gardening challenges, doesn’t it? I planted 5 sweet potato plants this year… and then a few more volunteers also sprouted out of roots from last year’s harvest. Figured its Nov. better do something…….well I have so many, taking a break. The harvest was small, as were the potatoes, I suppose due to limited sun. Apparently, I have made a mistake by planting two types of sweet potatoes in the same patch. You may have a nice harvest there! Roy Flanagan, who grows sweet potatoes at Flanagan Farm in Virginia Beach, attributed the increased production to farmers expanding direct-to-consumer offerings to improve their bottom lines. I hate to waste them and could give some away or I could maybe take some down to Florida (if I can find some room in the car!). Are you happy or disappointed with the harvest? Thanks guys. It’s my first time, so I have no idea. I grew sweets for the first time this ear and being in southern Va., I wanted to know when to dig them.The vines are blooming and growing so pretty still the first week of Oct.I grew these from store bought slips.Thank you for your info on when to dig.Your info was most helpful and I will be checking it out often. I’m in Phx and planted a slip in April. I found alot of large sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are usually ready to harvest in 90-120 days, depending on the variety. Hi Jackie — Sounds like you have a very happy sweet potato plant! Earlier this year I found your website through Pinterest and have been anxiously awaiting the time when I could start my sweet potato garden. I’ve found no real difference in taste or storage longevity either way, and agree that it can be a hassle to properly set up. Two pounds of sweet potato investment for 67.8 pounds of sweet potato harvest. My problem: How in the world do you cure in Northern Indiana in October?? Brush off loose dirt and leave them in the sun for a few hours, then move to a table or shed that is warm and has good air circulation. Here in PA, we aim to harvest them before the first fall frost which is still nearly a month away. Delaware is unpredictable like that! Fingers crossed for a good harvest, Tonia! [Update: I never got around to doing anything fancy with these sweet potatoes. When considering what variety of potatoes to plant, think about when you would ideally like to have a potato harvest. Stay tuned. This will be my first year container gardening. I put them there as an after thought because I ended up with too many slips for my containers. I found some slips locally. A lot of those were eaten before getting to the baskets. Great advice, Dan! Because I have a lot of problems with voles munching on my sweet potatoes, I have grown container potatoes for the last several years. Or more! Here, in Virginia, it’s best to harvest sweet potatoes just before the first frost. Your sweets should be waiting for you on your return. In that time, I’ve imported an aggregate of more than 24″ of composted horse & chicken manure. Will a month “cure” the spuds? Thanks! When to harvest sweet potatoes will depend on the cultivar that you purchased. The manure pile slips. The vines grew like mad. If you only have bud vases, only one slip will fit. Are they to eat as well or to use for growing new sweet potatoes? The rate of return is also amazing. Here in Alabama frost comes a little later. They have vined out over, under and through my entire garden. My cucumbers created hundreds and I even grew cantalopes. The vine is absolutely gorgeous in my raised bed garden. So easy, attractive and delicious. So easy, I use low sodium chicken broth and they shrink up like spinach. Above all, do your best to harvest your sweets before the first frost. I planted beauregard slips around the middle of June and have a jungle of vines. Maybe I will try again next year. If your soil is heavy (like the Virginia clay in my own garden), you can add a mix of compost and sand to loosen it. Virginia produces over 200,000 pounds of potatoes on about 6,000 acres. Not too much though — I try to minimize the amount of “damage” I inflict. Search sweet potato leaves and you will be surprised at how so many people eat them. Just cook them up like you might cook up some spinach. Just watch the weather report, and head out to dig up your sweets when you start seeing weather forecasts with nighttime temperatures in the low 40s or 30s. They taste quite good when I wash them off and put them in the microwave. Sweet Potato Facts • Sweet potatoes contains 327% of your daily recommended value for vitamin A, which is more than any other vegetable. Yep, people love their sweet potatoes. I’m holding out as long as possible to harvest those… maybe at the end of October. Greetings, Enjoyed your website. This year, I’m going to see what a just-harvested sweet potato tastes like. Enjoy your harvest! I planted more in April. “As the market grows, and we see the merits of going direct-to-consumer over wholesale, you need to come up with ways to extend your season and extend your cash flow. Most varieties of sweet potatoes are ready to harvest between 90 and 120 days of planting. I planted in an old wheelbarrow and one planter in our front yard which is totally covered with the vines. Maybe a container that’s a bit less permeable, like a large pot or a half whiskey barrel? I’m in NoVA and this year was my first attempt at growing sweets. I did use lots of compost in the bed but no sand. I’m leaving them in my greenhouse for a bit and then will bring them in to the house for the curing. Tastes awesome. I currently live in South Carolina, but am moving back to Tucson by next April, so have appreciated the comments from those folks living in AZ, since I will be planting there next spring. and if you factor in the use of the leaves, your return is even bigger! And sweet potatoes continue to grow in popularity, period.”. I’m excited to experiment with these sweets in the kitchen. I may plant a few slips directly in the ground this year as well. How to Harvest. Looked on line, made a bed in the corner of my yard. I am assuming you save a potato and cut the eyes and replant in spring? We have the same trouble here in Virginia — I just skip the whole curing thing and go straight to storage. So, my question, will there be SP where the vines have sent out root or just around the original slip. I’m new this year with sweet potatoes, I purchase slips at the feed store. Today I saw a rather large root sticking up out of the ground. I dug around by hand the other day. I’ve got Beauregard and garnets. Once frost hits, it’s best to dig them up within a day or two. The good part of container sweet potatoes, aside from the voles not getting into the containers, is it frees up space in my garden for peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, etc. Either way, I have not noticed a difference in the size of harvest. Typically, most varieties will take about three to four months to mature – about 90 to 120 days, but there are some newer varieties that take less time and bred specifically for northern climates (such as Georgia Jet, Vardaman, Centennial). I put slips from my sweet plants before I harvest them in vases of water and winter over till spring. One sweet potato plant can yield on average 2-1/2 pounds of potatoes, or 100 pounds or more from a 20-foot row. Enjoy! If the tubers are big, then his crop is ready. Again i did nothing more. The variety matters too — some sweet potato varieties mature a full month earlier than others. And, congrats on that harvest! It’s only mid September , first frost could be as early as October or as late as November. I’ll take this kind of year anytime you want to give it to me.”. Good luck! Here we have many HOA’s that won’t let you have anything non desert ie gravel and catus luckily mine is not that strict all also have plenty of back yard space. However you harvest them, do so slowly and gently. VIRGINIA BEACH — Virginians’ appetite for sweet potatoes is increasing, and local growers are harvesting an ample supply to meet consumers’ holiday needs. I’ve always just stored the roots, and waited until November or so before roasting up my first sweets. As for hydroponics, I doubt sweet potatoes would be a good crop for that. Good luck with the harvest! I agree with Christina: I wouldn’t call it a mistake.