Home / Guides / Vegetable Crop Calendars (A–C)
Vegetable Crop Calendars (A–C)Sweet Potato Planting Calendar
Sweet potatoes are a tropical crop that gardeners grow all the way into the temperate north. The trick is to plant slips into truly warm soil and give them enough weeks before frost.
Key points
- Plant slips only after frost is past and soil has warmed.
- Compare days to maturity with your first fall frost.
- Use loose, well-drained soil and avoid overfeeding with nitrogen.
- Handle roots gently and cure them before storage.
What are slips and why do sweet potatoes use them?
Sweet potatoes are not grown from true seed in the usual home garden way. They are started from slips, which are leafy sprouts grown from a mature sweet potato or bought from a supplier. Each slip becomes a plant that makes storage roots.
You can buy slips from reputable suppliers or grow your own. If you start your own, use a sound, disease-free root and ask your extension office for recommendations, since stock that carries disease can cause problems.
Cutting a slip from the mother root and planting it with a few nodes below the surface is the usual method. Ask your supplier or extension office for the specifics for your variety.
When should you plant sweet potato slips?
I could not retrieve a state-specific sweet potato window for this guide, so use the method. Slips should go out after your last spring frost, when soil has warmed well and nights are mild. Cold soil stunts the crop, and frost kills the vines.
For example, if your last frost usually falls in early May, you might plant a few weeks later after a warm stretch, but check your state extension planting guide for the range for your area.
Here is a worked example. Suppose your last frost usually comes in early May and your first fall frost in mid October. If a variety needs about 100 days, planting in early to mid June leaves a margin. This is an example only, so use the days for your variety and your own frost dates.
How long does the crop take?
Varieties differ in days to maturity, and the number on the packet or the supplier's listing is your best guide. Count that number forward from your planting date and compare with the average first fall frost for your town.
If the margin is tight, choose an earlier variety. Sweet potato vines are tender, and a frost before harvest can damage roots in the ground as well as foliage.
In short-season areas, black plastic mulch is a common technique for warming soil before planting, though local advice matters on what suits your site.
What soil does sweet potato prefer?
Loose, well-drained soil helps roots size up with a good shape. Heavy or compacted ground can give small, misshapen roots. Many growers plant on raised rows or ridges for better drainage and easier digging.
Too much nitrogen can give lush vines and poor roots. Use a soil test and local recommendations instead of a general rate, and remember that nutrient rules vary by state.
Water consistently while slips establish. Once vines cover the ground, they shade out weeds and need less attention, though dry spells still call for water.
How do you harvest and cure sweet potatoes?
Dig gently, since roots bruise easily and bruised roots store poorly. Try to harvest before frost, and handle the roots with care. Do not wash them before curing.
Curing and storage need warm, humid conditions for a period before roots settle into cool storage, and exact numbers differ among sources, so follow your extension office's guidance. For cooking, freezing or canning, use tested procedures from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Digging in wet soil is messy and increases bruising, so pick a dry day if you can.
What pests and problems occur?
Wireworms, weevils and soil-borne diseases occur in some regions. Rotation and clean planting stock help. Some states have rules about moving sweet potato plants or roots to limit pests, so ask your state department of agriculture.
For identification and options, call your county extension office. Follow labels exactly, observe pre-harvest intervals and protect pollinators.
A common mistake is to plant slips into cool soil because the garden center sells them early. Hold slips in a cool, bright, sheltered place until the weather warms rather than risk a stalled start.
What does a simple sweet potato timeline look like?
Order or start slips so they arrive near your planting date. Prepare ridges ahead of time. Plant after soil warms and nights are mild, water in, and cover if a cold night threatens.
Watch your frost date in autumn. Dig when the season ends and handle roots carefully through curing and storage. Warm soil and a long season are the two requirements. This list helps you meet both.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: November 2026. Educational information, ranges only. Confirm timing with your county extension office.