How to Harvest Sweet Potatoes | A Rural Girl Writes

Inside: Long about the middle of fall, the time comes to dig up buried treasure. I’m talking about harvesting sweet potatoes, of course! Read on to learn how.

Sweet Potatoes: The Year in Review

Turn sweet potatoes into plnts — Look at all the potential sweet potato plants!

I’m going to level with you. Mine didn’t do so well this year. Planted late as part of the late summer garden experiment, they didn’t get the benefit of a lengthy summer. Nor did their home in front of a fallen log give them an ideal amount of sun. And, frankly, the soil wasn’t prepared in advance to the extent I would have liked.

Still, I had some–a total of four pounds from about six plants, and for that I’m thankful. And all from the slips that came from that original sprouting sweet potato Emily gave me back in the spring.

So How Do You Harvest Those Spuds?

Unlike white potatoes which signal their readiness to be harvested by the foliage turning yellow, sweet potatoes keep growing as long as the weather is warm. For our neck of the woods, gardeners generally let frost dictate harvesting sweet potatoes. (As it already has this year.)

It’s best to choose a cloudy day before frost to dig them up. Be careful when wielding your shovel! I find it works best to lightly tug on the vines to see if the potatoes start lifting out of the ground. Gently brush away some of the dirt–that way you can get some idea of where they are in the ground. Take your shovel and move it back eight to twelve inches out from the potatoes and start digging with plenty of distance between you and the spuds to avoid cutting any of them.

Once they’re dug up, let them lie on the ground for a few hours, but not overnight–so the ancient gardening wisdom goes. (Actually, I have left mine out overnight before, and no sweet potatoes were harmed in the process, but I’d rather err on the side of caution.) Ideally it’s good to let them cure for ten to fourteen days in a warm, dark, dry place before storing away in boxes. . .

If frost does come before you have a chance to harvest, the next morning after the frost, cut the vines at the soil level, which should buy you a couple of days before you need to dig them up.

Sweet potatoes aren’t difficult to grow or harvest, and most of the time your plants will yield a decent amount of potatoes. In all of my years growing them, I’ve gotten yields anywhere from one to five pounds or more per plant. On average, about two to three pounds each slip. Ideally, they’ll do so much better if you get those slips in the ground as soon as the soil remains consistently warm.

And that’s precisely what I’m going to do–next year. Then maybe I can regain my reputation as sweet potato whisperer!