AllotMe
GROWING GUIDES
Sweet Potatoes
Vegetables
Moderate
Planting Schedule
Month by month
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Harvest
Sow Seeds Indoors
Start slips (shoots) from a sweet potato in March by suspending one in water, or buy ready-grown slips. Pot on shoots when they have roots.
Outdoors
Plant out slips in early June once all frost risk has passed. Needs the warmest possible spot or grow under cover.
Harvest
Harvest in September or October before the first frost. Lift carefully to avoid damaging tubers. Cure in a warm place for 10 days before eating.
Month by month
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Harvest
How to Sow
- Buy ready-grown slips or create your own by suspending a sweet potato in water until it sprouts
- Pot up rooted slips in individual pots and grow on in a warm place
- Plant out in early June into rich, well-drained soil in the warmest spot possible
- Space 30cm apart in ridges or mounds
- Cover with fleece or grow in a polytunnel for best results in the UK
Plant Care
- Water regularly but don't overwater — sweet potatoes prefer warmth over moisture
- Black polythene mulch warms the soil and suppresses weeds — highly recommended
- Feed fortnightly with a high-potash fertiliser
- Keep the trailing vines tidy but don't prune them
- Harvest before the first frost — cold damages tubers
AllotMe’s Tips
- Sweet potatoes are increasingly viable in the UK thanks to warmer summers — 'Beauregard' is the most reliable variety
- Growing in large containers or grow bags on a sunny patio can work really well — the container warms up faster than open ground
- Cure harvested tubers at 25-30°C for 10 days to develop the sweetness before cooking — they taste much better after curing
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