Soil. Sun. Patience.

Growing your own sweet potatoes can be very rewarding! See below for tips & tricks, how-tos and what I’ve personally learned along the way of my own sweet potato journey. Join me throughout the garden season as I continue to learn and grow.

My Experience

A quick note & disclaimer

I’ve grown sweet potatoes for three years now, and I want to share with you the small amount of knowledge I’ve gained thus far. I am by no means an expert, but I am an ardent enthusiast. I haven’t yet strayed from the classic Beauregards that have been available from my local garden centers, but this year I’m trying several new varieties, and I will share my adventures with you! This society strives to be a community tool and any advice from wise practitioners is welcome.

Follow my growing experience in the blog posts below or continue down this page for the basics of growing your own sweet potatoes!

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Growing Basics

It’s as easy as 1-2-3

Prepare your plot

You’re going to need a very sunny area and decent soil. They say sweet potatoes do well in most soils, but the looser the better so the roots grow easily. Raised beds are good and also well-tilled and amended yard. (I’ve done both with good results.) Working the soil takes hard work, but it’s worth it. Get started here!

Slippin' Slide

Sweet potatoes are grown from slips. Slips sprout from current sweet potatoes and are plucked, rooted and then planted when ready. Growing your own slips is super cool and fun to watch. But it takes awhile so start early (learn how here). You can also buy slips from local garden centers or online.

Plant and wait

Once you’ve acquired the slips you need, put them in your prepared plot. Don’t plant until it is very warm. In Tennessee, mid May to early June is the best. Harvest time won’t be for at least three months so be patient. They are low maintenance overall. Mulch well and water. The vines will go cray cray soon it’s cool. Learn how!

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