When to Harvest Sweet Potatoes for the Best Yield

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are usually harvested about 100 to 110 days after planting or when the plant’s leaves start to yellow. Though, sweet potatoes can continue to grow after their leaves start to yellow, and harvesting spuds too early can reduce the size of your crop,

If you want to harvest sweet potatoes at the perfect time, these harvesting tips will help you determine exactly when to harvest sweet potatoes for big and tasty spuds that last.

When to Harvest Sweet Potatoes

Some fast-growing sweet potatoes can be harvested in just 85 days, while others take about 160 days to reach their mature size.  

In most areas, sweet potato harvest season lasts from September to early October, but cold temperatures, drought, and other factors can cause sweet potatoes to grow a bit slower.

Just keep in mind that sweet potatoes are sensitive to cold and they should always be harvested before a killing frost.

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4 Signs Your Sweet Potatoes Are Ready to Harvest

Watching for certain signs of ripeness will help you pinpoint the perfect time to pick sweet potatoes and help you avoid overripe and underripe spuds.

Some key indicators that harvest time has arrived include:

1. The date on your calendar. Research the harvesting dates for the types of sweet potatoes you’re growing and mark those harvesting dates on your calendar. This will help you keep track of the approximate time when your plants will be ready.
2. Yellow and wilted leaves. Sweet potatoes often experience a growth spurt at the end of the season and spuds can get bigger even after the plant leaves start to yellow. While you generally don’t want to pull sweet potatoes up at the first signs of yellowed leaves, yellowing leaves do indicate that harvest time is approaching.
3. Frost on the forecast. Although sweet potatoes can handle some cool weather, plants won’t survive a hard, killing frost. If frost is on the forecast, it’s time to dig up your sweet potatoes.
4. Big tubers. No one wants to harvest small, underripe sweet potatoes, but you can pull up a test tuber or two to get a better idea of how your crop is maturing. If the test sweet potato is a usable size, or about 2 inches in diameter by 5 inches long, there’s a good chance the rest of the roots are ready to harvest.

7 Tips for Harvesting Sweet Potatoes

If you’re growing sweet potatoes in pots or grow bags, dump the growing containers on a tarp and collect the buried spuds.

However, if you’re growing sweet potatoes in inground gardens or raised beds, these quick harvesting tips will help you gather damage-free sweet potatoes without much work.

• Remove the leaves. Sweet potato plants produce lush and leafy vines that can make it difficult to locate buried spuds. For easier digging, cut away some of those sweet potato leaves before harvesting.
• Reduce watering. Allowing the soil to dry out for a few days before harvesting lets sweet potato skins toughen up and can help spuds last a little longer in storage.
• Work carefully. Use a spading fork or hand shovel to gently loosen the soil around sweet potato plant crowns and then lift the tubers from the soil. Take care not to cut through sweet potato roots as damaged tubers don’t last long in storage.
• Harvest on an overcast day. Tender sweet potato skins can be damaged by hot sun, so always harvest sweet potatoes on a cloudy day or cover up the spuds with a tarp immediately after harvesting!
• Handle gently. Remember to handle sweet potatoes carefully and avoid tossing them into harvest buckets or stacking them in heavy piles—their tender skins bruise easily.
• Don’t miss hidden spuds. Sweet potatoes produce most of their tubers directly below the plant crown, although they may grow smaller clusters of tubers along their vines. Feel below any rooted sections of sweet potato vines to unearth extra spuds.
• Use the leaves. Don’t throw out those sweet potato leaves—they’re edible and can be cooked up just like kale or spinach.

How to Store Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes can be eaten immediately after harvesting, or you can cure sweet potatoes and store them in a cool, dark root cellar for up to 10 months. Curing makes sweet potatoes even sweeter, but it also extends their shelf life by thickening their skins and causing small blemishes to callous over.

To cure sweet potatoes:

• Don’t wash your potatoes after harvesting.
• Spread damage-free tubers in a warm, dark, and humid spot.
• Allow them to dry and cure for 1 to 2 weeks.
• Brush the skins to remove excess dirt, and loosely pack the tubers in ventilated boxes or baskets until you’re ready to dig in.