How to Plant and Maintain Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are nutritious, delicious and easy to grow in a raised garden. Learn how to plant and maintain sweet potatoes in this video by The Home Depot:
You will need the following supplies:
- Spading fork
- Watering can
- Fertilizer
- Shovel
- Mulch
- Hose/watering can
- Gardening gloves
- Flower pots (optional)
1. Plant in late spring: Sweet potatoes grow well in the heat. Plan to plant them in late spring, so they’ll be ready to harvest by midsummer.
2. Condition your soil: Choose a sunny planting bed and be sure to remove all weeds with a spading fork. Look for young plants with healthy green leaves. To condition your soil and keep it healthy, add two inches of compost along with an organic or time-released fertilizer. Tip: Irrigation kits are an easy way to keep your plants watered.
3. Plant your vines: Sweet potato vines need plenty of room to grow. Make sure there are 18 inches of space between each plant and leave three feet between each row. Dig your holes deeper and larger than the plant root. Pour a quart of water into each hole. Place the plant in the hole, then refill it with soil so that only the top few leaves are showing. When finished, saturate the bed with water. You can expect your sweet potatoes to grow rapidly after about two weeks. Tip: If it’s hot or sunny, cover with a flower pot for three days to help roots develop.
4. Maintain your plants: Carefully remove weeds about three weeks after planting. Apply additional mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture. If the weather is hot and dry, water them weekly.
Sweet potatoes are ready for harvest when their leaves and the ends of their vines turn yellow. They don’t attract many insects and they store well, so you can enjoy them throughout the winter.
