When to plant Sweet Potato
A tropical, heat-loving root grown from rooted sprouts called slips rather than seed. The sprawling vines need a long, hot season and well-drained soil. Lift the tubers before frost and cure them warm to sweeten.
Companions: Bush beans, dill, thyme
How to grow Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato can be grown from seed on the schedule below. Give it full sun and space plants about 12 inches apart. It takes roughly 100 days from planting to its first harvest, so count that against your frost dates to be sure it can finish. Classic companions include bush beans, dill, thyme.
Grower's tip: Plant rooted 'slips' once soil is truly warm; the vines need a long, hot, frost-free season.
When to plant Sweet Potato by USDA zone
Timing shifts with your climate — the same sweet potato goes in weeks earlier in a mild zone than a cold one. Find your zone below for its planting window, or open that zone's full calendar.
| Zone | When to plant |
|---|---|
| Zone 1a | Transplant outdoors Jun 29–Jul 13 |
| Zone 1b | Transplant outdoors Jun 24–Jul 8 |
| Zone 2a | Transplant outdoors Jun 19–Jul 3 |
| Zone 2b | Transplant outdoors Jun 13–Jun 27 |
| Zone 3a | Transplant outdoors Jun 8–Jun 22 |
| Zone 3b | Transplant outdoors Jun 3–Jun 17 |
| Zone 4a | Transplant outdoors May 29–Jun 12 |
| Zone 4b | Transplant outdoors May 24–Jun 7 |
| Zone 5a | Transplant outdoors May 19–Jun 2 |
| Zone 5b | Transplant outdoors May 14–May 28 |
| Zone 6a | Transplant outdoors May 5–May 19 |
| Zone 6b | Transplant outdoors Apr 29–May 13 |
| Zone 7a | Transplant outdoors Apr 21–May 5 |
| Zone 7b | Transplant outdoors Apr 15–Apr 29 |
| Zone 8a | Transplant outdoors Apr 5–Apr 19 |
| Zone 8b | Transplant outdoors Mar 29–Apr 12 |
| Zone 9a | Transplant outdoors Mar 14–Mar 28 |
| Zone 9b | Transplant outdoors Mar 1–Mar 15 |
| Zone 10a | Transplant outdoors Feb 14–Feb 28 |
| Zone 10b | Transplant outdoors Jan 29–Feb 12 |
| Zone 11a | Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 29 |
| Zone 11b | Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 29 |
| Zone 12a | Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 29 |
| Zone 12b | Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 29 |
| Zone 13a | Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 29 |
| Zone 13b | Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 29 |