Moisture range
35–55%
Days to maturity
90–120
Light
Full sun
Growing Degree Units
1650 · base 60°F
When to plant sweet potato where you garden
Indoor-start, transplant and harvest dates, counted from your own frost dates.
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Growing notes
Sweet potato is a warm-season crop that requires a long, frost-free growing season to mature and plants vine out and trail along the ground.
Harvest signs
UMD Extension ↗Check the root size after 80 to 85 days because they don't stop growing and can start to split when overgrown. Harvest roots as soon as they reach eating size
▶Planting reference— spacing, pH, light
Companions & antagonists
Plant near:Beans
Tip: Plant slips, not seeds. Needs long warm season.
Common questions
How much water does sweet potato need?
Sweet Potato is fairly drought-tolerant once established and can dry out further between waterings. A soil-moisture range of about 35–55% is plenty — overwatering does more harm than a little dryness.
Can I grow sweet potato in a raised bed or container?
Sweet Potato prefers an in-ground bed with room to spread its roots, but a large, deep container works if that's what you have.
Does sweet potato come back every year?
No — sweet potato is an annual. It completes its life in one season, so you replant it each year.