Grow Your Own Sweet Potatoes

These sweet potato plants offer a rewarding gardening experience. They produce sweet potatoes with reddish skin and deep orange flesh, perfect for baking, mashing, or making fries. Our slips allow you to easily grow your own delicious sweet potatoes.

Starting with Slips: Sweet potatoes are grown from slips, not seeds. Slips are shoots that sprout from mature sweet potatoes. You can buy slips from a nursery or grow your own. Place a sweet potato half-submerged in water in a warm, sunny spot. Sprouts (slips) will grow. When they’re 5–6 inches long, twist them off and place them in water to root.

Planting and Care: Choose a site with full sun and well-draining soil with a pH around 5.5 to 6.5. Plant the slips 12–18 inches apart in rows 3–4 feet apart. Bury slips up to the first set of leaves. Water regularly, about 1 inch per week, but avoid excessive watering. Mulch helps retain moisture and suppress weeds.

Harvesting and Storage: Sweet potatoes mature in about 90 to 100 days. Dig them up when the leaves start to yellow. Use a fork and be gentle to avoid damaging the tubers. Cure in a warm, humid place for 7–10 days. Store in a cool, dark, dry place at 55–60°F.

Benefits of Growing Your Own Sweet Potatoes: Fresh, homegrown flavor, Control over growing practices, Ornamental value of the vines, and a Rewarding gardening experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How long does it take for the sweet potato slips to root? Slips typically root in water within 1-2 weeks.
• What is the best soil pH for growing sweet potatoes? The ideal soil pH is between 5.5 and 6.5.
• How much sunlight do sweet potato plants need? They require full sun, at least 6-8 hours per day.
• How often should I water my sweet potato plants? Water about 1 inch per week, but allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
• When is the best time to harvest sweet potatoes? Harvest when the leaves start to yellow, typically after 90-100 days.