How to Grow Sweet Potato

There are a few different varieties of Sweet Potato to choose from, and they differ in colour and taste. They are grouped according to their skin colour: the common orange flesh variety 'Beauregard' and 'Orleans', the red skin (often mistaken for purple skin) 'Northern Star' or the white-skin-purple-flesh 'Murasaki' and 'Hawaiian Sunshine'.

Sweet Potatoes are vines and if given the space, they will ramble and set down roots – so take care on where you choose to grow them in the garden. 

Choose a sunny spot (at least six hours a day) in your garden with well-drained soil. If the soil is not well-drained, consider planting in raised garden bed as they will not tolerate poor drainage.

Prior to planting, use a fork to break up the soil and enrich with plenty of compost and organic matter, like Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.

Planting Cuttings

Bury soft tip cuttings directly to the prepared soil: 40-50 cm apart, 5-7 cm deep with 100 cm between rows.

Planting Slips

Place a sweet potato in a pot of potting or seed raising mix, or suspend half a sweet potato in a jar of water (using toothpicks for support) and position in a warm spot. When shoots are 15 cm long, cut at the base and plant them out in the garden. Alternatively, you can place them in a glass of water to develop roots before planting. 

Keep the soil moist as the plants establish. Mulch around the base of plants to maintain soil moisture and reduce weeds.

Once established, Sweet Potatoes are quite hardy and can tolerate dry periods, but they will grow better if regularly watered. Use Yates Thrive Vegie and Herb Liquid Plant Food weekly for leaf harvesting and no extra fertiliser is necessary for tuber harvesting.

Once the foliage starts to yellow and die back, it's time to harvest. Using a spade or fork, gently loosen the soil around the plant and lift, taking care not to damage the skin. After digging, cure Sweet Potatoes in a warm and well-ventilated area for a few days to enhance their sweetness and shelf life.

Sweet Potato vines grow well in pots. The vines will grow and hang over the edges of the pot, adding a decorative touch. Be mindful of keeping the vines out of the garden beds to prevent them from taking root. Alternatively, install a trellis to encourage vines to grow up and stay close to the pot.

Choose a pot at least 500 mm wide and deep and position in a sunny spot, with at least six hours of direct sunlight. Fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.

Planting Cuttings

Bury soft tip cuttings directly to the prepared soil: 40-50 cm apart, 5-7 cm deep with 100 cm between rows.

Planting Slips

Place a sweet potato in a pot of potting or seed raising mix, or suspend half a sweet potato in a jar of water (using toothpicks for support) and position in a warm spot. When shoots are 15 cm long, cut at the base and plant them out in the garden. Alternatively, you can place them in a glass of water to develop roots before planting.

Keep the soil moist as the plants establish. Mulch around the base of plants with an organic mulch like pea straw or sugar cane mulch to maintain soil moisture and reduce weeds.

Once established, sweet potatoes are quite hardy and can tolerate dry periods, but they will grow better if regularly watered. Use Yates Thrive Vegie and Herb Liquid Plant Food weekly for leaf harvesting and no extra fertiliser is necessary for tuber harvesting.

Once the foliage starts to yellow and die back, it's time to harvest. Cut back the foliage and empty the pot into a wheelbarrow or onto a piece of tarp on the ground. Use a hand-fork to gently loosen the soil and free the tubers. Cure the sweet potatoes in a warm and well-ventilated area for about 10 days to enhance their sweetness and shelf life.

There is a growing trend to grow sweet potatoes in a glass of water and display them as indoor plants. While they won't sprout tubers, they do look rather fascinating with the vines growing sculpturally from the head of the tuber. You can even use sweet potatoes you have purchased from the supermarket, or it's the perfect project for ones that have been sitting in the pantry for a while. Here's how:

Fill a glass jar or vessel with water. Ensure its large enough to house half the sweet potato and developing roots.

Insert the sweet potato into the jar and allow the tip of the base to be submerged in water. Insert toothpicks into the sides of the sweet potato to help hold it in place.

Position the sweet potato in a bright spot and change the water at least twice a week or earlier, if it becomes murky.

Sweet Potato slips are small sprouts or shoots that grow from a Sweet Potato tuber. They are used to propagate new plants and can be easily grown at home. Sweet Potatoes are typically grown from slips rather than seeds, as they do not produce true seeds and can be challenging to grow from seed. 

To grow Sweet Potato slips, you will need a healthy Sweet Potato tuber. You can purchase organic tubers  from the grocery store or ask friends for one from their garden.

Fill a shallow tray with potting mix and lightly bury the Sweet Potato tuber. Water in gently and keep the mix moist as the sprouts form. Once the sprouts are about 15 cm long, cut them off at the base and plant them directly into the garden or pot. Alternatively, you may want to root the cuttings in a glass of water before planting outside.

You can also grow slips by placing a whole or half Sweet Potato in a glass of water, using toothpicks to hold it in place.  Make sure the bottom half is submerged in water while the top half is exposed to air. Place the jar in a warm spot with indirect sunlight and change the water every few days to prevent mould. 

After a few weeks, you should start to see roots forming on the bottom half of the sweet potato and green sprouts growing from the top. Once the sprouts are about 15 cm long,  cut them off at the base and plant them up.

Yes, you can plant store-bought Sweet Potatoes to grow your own crop, provided they have been purchased from an organic source. 

Use the Sweet Potato tuber for slip propagation instead of planting directly. Planting the whole tuber is often slower than starting from slips. 

Sweet Potatoes typically take around 90-170 days to mature, depending on the variety you are growing. When the foliage begins to yellow and die back, it is a good indication Sweet Potatoes are ready to be harvested. Cutting back the foliage will allow for easier access to the tubers. 

Yes, you can reuse the potting mix from potted Sweet Potatoes. Before planting new plants, improve and enrich the old potting mix by adding a rich organic fertiliser like Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.

The most common pest of Sweet Potatoes is the Sweet Potato Weevil. The larvae of the Sweet Potato Weevil feed on the tubers, causing them to be riddled with holes that eventually spoil the harvest. The damage is normally not noticeable until tubers are harvested. Unfortunately, there is no current treatment for the Sweet Potato Weevil.