How to Plant and Grow Sweet Potatoes

The sweet potato is known to be one of the most nutritional vegetables available. These tubers, sometimes called yams, can be quite simple to grow if you plant them properly. So spend a little time outdoors to grow your own fresh sweet potatoes.

Things You'll Need

• Sweet potato
• Sand
• Shovel
• Spading fork

Instructions

1. Put a sweet potato on a bed of sand and cover it completely with moist sand. Keep it moist and at room temperature for four to six weeks until sprouts are about six inches tall and have a few leaves.

2. Remove the new shoots and their roots by gently twisting them off the potato. These pieces are known as "slips." Wait three or four days before planting the slips as little root hairs will develop, and they will help to ensure survival.

3. Make a mound of soil about twelve inches high and twelve inches wide. Plant the slips in the mound four inches deep and twelve inches apart.

4. Keep a young plant moist by watering regularly, especially if you have fast draining sandy soil. Once they are established, sweet potatoes won't require as much moisture.

5. Weed carefully until plants are well established so you don't disturb the delicate roots. Once the plant reaches the stage where the vines cover the ground, they will help shade out weeds, eliminating a lot of the maintenance.

6. Remove the vines about a week prior to harvesting the potatoes. This will help the skin "set" as it is very thin and susceptible to bruising. Dig the potatoes up with a spading fork and store until ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the soil is at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit before planting slips outdoors.

• Slips grow best in loose soil as they can expand better than in clay.

• Depending on the variety sweet potatoes are ready for harvest in three to four months after planting.

• Tubers will keep four to five months if stored in a cool dry place.

• Brush the dirt off the sweet potatoes before storing them. Cleaning with water prior to storage will cause them to spoil. You can wash them just before you are ready to cook them.