Crop guide
Growing sweet potatoes
Growing sweet potatoes means matching type, timing, and spacing on the cited sheets. There is no single national planting date.
Growing guidance is general information. Timing, spacing, and care depend on cultivar, weather, soil, and local conditions. Check the sources and adjust the plan for your garden.
Steps (range, not a promise)
- 01Know the type on the cited sheet. Slip notes stay source-specific.
- 02Plant on the cited sheet’s timing. Regional dates stay on their own cards.
- 03Use in-row depth and spacing from one cited source.
- 04Log the bed so next season is not a guess.
Illustrative photograph — types, timing, and spacing stay on the cited sheets.
The season, on your ground
Save this bed — freeWhen to plantCareWhen to harvestGarden pests
What the sources say — at a glance
One source per card. Facts are not averaged.
Clemson HGIC 1322 (South Carolina)
Ipomoea batatas. Warm-season. Storage root, not a tuber. Slips. After last chance of frost. Soil above 65 °F. Rows 3 ft. 8–12 in in-row.
Details and limits (5)
Types
Clemson HGIC 1322 (South Carolina): the sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) is a warm-season crop. It produces a storage root, not a tuber. Type notes — not a mill.
Timing
Clemson HGIC 1322 (South Carolina): not planted until well after the last chance of frost in the spring. The soil temperature should be above 65 °F before planting. Static named-source frost and soil-temperature notes — not a national plant date.
Types
Clemson HGIC 1322 (South Carolina): grow from plants or sprouts called slips produced from the roots of the previous season’s crop. Type notes — not a mill.
Spacing
Clemson HGIC 1322 (South Carolina): plant the transplants (called slips) in rows 3 feet apart with 8 to 12 inches between plants in the row at a depth of 3 to 4 inches. Plant slips at a depth of 3 inches.
Limit
South Carolina HGIC 1322. Rows and slip depth stay Clemson. Not fertilizer.
Maryland Extension (Maryland)
Ipomoea batatas. Very tender warm-season annual. Slips after soil 65 °F. After danger of frost. 12 in in-row. 40 in between rows.
Details and limits (4)
Types
Maryland Extension (Maryland): the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas). Very tender warm-season annual. Frost will injure top growth (attributed). Storage roots, not tubers. The true yam (Dioscorea) is a cited exclusion — not a yam page. Type notes — not a mill. Maryland’s attributed frost wording — not a planting-safety promise.
Timing
Maryland Extension (Maryland): plant sprouted new shoots (called slips) after the soil has warmed to 65 °F. Pull slips from bedded roots and plant outside after the danger of frost has passed. Static named-source frost and soil-temperature notes — not a national plant date.
Spacing
Maryland Extension (Maryland): 12 inches between plants within a row, and 40 inches between rows.
Limit
Maryland growing-sweet-potatoes sheet. 12 in and 40 in stay Maryland. Not a ZIP calendar.
UMN Extension (Minnesota)
Outdoor early June (roots). Indoor mid-April (roots). Minnesota timing — not a national plant date.
Details and limits (2)
Timing
UMN Extension (Minnesota): recommended outdoor planting for sweet potatoes (roots) is early June. Indoor start of sweet potatoes (roots) is mid-April. Minnesota timing — not a national plant date.
Limit
Minnesota planting-the-vegetable-garden page. Early June and mid-April stay Minnesota. Minnesota’s sheet does not provide a type or spacing note on this page.
Illinois Extension (Illinois)
Ipomoea batatas. Tender warm-weather. Slips after soil warms after last frost. 12–18 in. Ridge about 8 in. Rows 3–4 ft.
Details and limits (4)
Types
Illinois Extension (Illinois): sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, is a tender, warm-weather vegetable. Started from plants called slips. It is not related to the yam (Dioscorea) — cited exclusion, not a yam page. Type notes — not a mill.
Timing
Illinois Extension (Illinois): transplant the slips as soon as the soil warms up after the last frost. Illinois timing — not a national plant date.
Spacing
Illinois Extension (Illinois): set the plants 12 to 18 inches apart, preferably on a wide, raised ridge about 8 inches high. Allow at least 3 to 4 feet between rows.
Limit
Illinois sweet-potato page. 12–18 in and ridge stay Illinois. Not fertilizer.
Make it yours
Save the bed in the Field Book so next season is not a guess.
Sources differ
When do you plant sweet potatoes?
Compare timing on the cited sheets. Clemson HGIC 1322 (South Carolina): well after the last chance of frost; soil above 65 °F. Maryland: slips after soil 65 °F, after danger of frost has passed. Minnesota: outdoor early June; indoor mid-April. Illinois: transplant slips as soon as the soil warms after last frost. Not a national plant date.
How far apart do you plant sweet potatoes?
Compare spacing on the cited sheets. Clemson: rows 3 feet, 8 to 12 inches in-row, slips 3 inches. Maryland: 12 inches in-row, 40 inches between rows. Illinois: 12 to 18 inches, ridge about 8 inches, rows 3 to 4 feet. Minnesota’s sheet does not provide a spacing note on this page. Not one BioArva grid.
What to record in the Field Book
Save the bed with the crop and the date. You may add a photo and notes. Compare entries you have recorded with each other — not with a diagnosis from this page. If you want an identification, bring the record to local Extension.
Verified suppliers only
No supplier on this page
When a partner is listed, it will be outbound and disclosed. Nothing to buy here. Fertilizer, soils, and pesticides stay off this slot.
How we know — methodology. Ranges and assertions are cited per source, not blended.