Purple Sweet Potato Starter Live Plants - 4 Rooted Slips

Purple Sweet Potatoes have been described as having a mildly sweet, floral taste. Their flesh is a deep purple and their skin has a light, purple hue.

Plant Type: Vegetable

Grows Best In: Full Sun

Fruit Size: 6-8" Long

Days to Maturity: 80 Days

Growth Type: Spring

Seedling Spacing: Sow 36" apart in rows

Sweet potatoes need at least six hours of full sun a day. While they can still grow in partial shade, the crop will thrive better with direct sunlight. Plant with the roots side facing down, bury your sweet potato slips in loose, well-drained soil, keeping the sprouted leafy part above ground. Fill the planting hole with soil and gently firm it with your hand to remove any air pockets. During the first week of planting, water your mounds to thoroughly soak the dirt (but don’t water so much that the soil erodes). After the first week, water every other day, gradually tapering down the watering to once a week.

Purple sweet potatoes require little maintenance other than watering and pest control. Your potatoes won’t likely need fertilizer, but if you need to treat your soil, use a low-nitrogen fertilizer. Too much nitrogen in the soil will cause potato vines to grow rather than the tubers themselves.

In warmer climates, it’s easier to tell when purple sweet potatoes are ready to harvest because their vines will yellow and die back. If you live in a cooler climate, harvest time will be shortly before the first fall frost (as early as 80 days, and as many as 120 days). When your tubers are ready, use a pitchfork or digging fork to loosen up the soil and dig out your potatoes with ease.