Sweet Potatoes

Use our zone-based planting guide to know when to plant sweet potatoes.

Plant name Zone Start seeds indoors Start seeds outdoors Plant seedlings/transplants outdoors Plant spacing # plants per person
Sweet potatoes 3a Not recommended Not recommended On/around June 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 3b Not recommended Not recommended On/around June 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 4a Not recommended Not recommended On/around June 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 4b Not recommended Not recommended On/around June 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 5a Not recommended Not recommended On/around May 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 5b Not recommended Not recommended On/around May 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 6a Not recommended Not recommended On/around May 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 6b Not recommended Not recommended On/around May 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 7a Not recommended Not recommended On/around May 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 7b Not recommended Not recommended On/around May 15 (a month after last frost date) 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 8a Not recommended Not recommended Feb. 15-May 15; Sept. 15-Nov. 30 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 8b Not recommended Not recommended Feb. 15-May 15; Sept. 15-Nov. 30 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 9a Not recommended Not recommended Jan. 15-April 15; Sept. 15-Dec. 15 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 9b Not recommended Not recommended Jan. 15-April 15; Sept. 15-Dec. 15 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 10a Not recommended Not recommended March-May; October-December 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 10b Not recommended Not recommended March-May; October-December 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 11a Not recommended Not recommended March-May; September-November 12-18 inches 5
Sweet potatoes 11b Not recommended Not recommended March-May; September-November 12-18 inches 5

* Sweet potatoes are actually tropical plants. They need to be planted in warm weather.