Sweet potato

Sweet potato: plant 30 cm (12 in) apart in the row and 110 cm (43 in) between rows, 1 per square. Good neighbours: Avocado tree, Mango tree, Banana plant.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	30 cm (12 in)
Between rows	110 cm (43 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	35 cm (14 in)
Crop rotation group	Roots and onions
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	From cuttings
Cuttings per planting hole	3
Planting depth	8 cm (3.1 in)
Soil temperature	from 18 °C, best 24–30 °C
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to plant	Indoors 6 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 18 °C

From seedling to plant

Takes transplanting	Badly, sow where it grows
Life cycle	Tender perennial, grown as an annual where it freezes
Cold tolerance	Tender, hurt by frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	10 L, 30 cm (11.8 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while roots swell
Feeding	Little; at planting
Support and training	None needed; earth up

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	100–140 days, from planting
Ready when	The leaves die back
Harvest window	All at once, 2–4 weeks
Sow again every	21 days
Typical yield	1–2.5 kg per plant
Botanical family	Convolvulaceae
Watch out for	Wireworms, slugs and snails

Good neighbours

◐ good with a condition · Why, with the sources →

Plan Sweet potato in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Sweet potato onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow indoors	Apr
Plant out	May
Harvest	Sep–Oct

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Sweet potato →

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Grow More Sweet Potato (ANR-2876-AA, 2023) — Alabama Cooperative Extension System for: sowing depth, between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-31
Illinois vegetable planting dates, spacing and seeds (2020) — University of Illinois Extension for: spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-31

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