If you’ve never grown sweet potatoes before, let me tell you — once you pull a big fat harvest out of the dirt for the first time, you’re going to be hooked. Sweet potatoes are one of those crops that feel like a magic trick when you do it right.
This post is my “real-life” guide to growing monster sweet potatoes in 2025 — what I do, what I avoid, and what actually makes the difference between tiny pencil roots and those big dinner-plate spuds.
Why sweet potatoes are worth growing
- High yield from a small space (especially in beds).
- Heat lovers — they thrive when other plants start complaining.
- Low drama once established (they’re basically ground-cover with benefits).
- Storage crop — with a proper cure, you can eat them for months.
Start with slips (not grocery store starts… unless you know what you’re doing)
Sweet potatoes are grown from slips — those little sprouts/shoots that grow off a sweet potato. You can buy slips or start your own, but either way, you want healthy, strong starts.
MTGG tip: The earlier you start slips (without rushing the cold), the more time you give the plants to size up those roots.
Beds vs containers (both work — but they grow different)
You can grow sweet potatoes in a garden bed or a container. Here’s the truth:
- Garden beds: Bigger yields, bigger potatoes, and less watering stress.
- Containers: Great for small spaces, but you’ve gotta stay on top of watering and soil quality.
If you’re chasing “monster” sweet potatoes, a loose, deep bed usually wins — but I’ve seen containers do well too with the right setup.
Soil & feeding (this is where “monster” happens)
Sweet potatoes want loose soil. If the soil is hard, compacted, or clay-heavy, you’ll still get growth… but it’s going to be more roots and less “big potatoes.”
My simple soil goal
- Fluffy/loose soil that drains well
- Lots of organic matter (compost is your friend)
- Don’t go crazy with high nitrogen
Heads up: Too much nitrogen = huge vines and disappointing potatoes. The plant looks amazing… and then you harvest sadness. 😅
Watering & care
Early on, keep them evenly moist while they’re establishing. Once they’re rolling, they’re tough — but if you’re in containers, you can’t let them dry out hard over and over.
- Water deep, not just a sprinkle.
- Mulch helps a lot (beds especially).
- Let the vines run — don’t stress about “tidy.”
Harvest & curing (don’t skip the cure!)
Sweet potatoes are usually ready when the season is ending and the vines start slowing down — and you want to dig them carefully. They bruise easy, so treat them like eggs for the first few days.
Curing (the secret to flavor)
Curing turns them sweeter and improves storage life. Warm, humid-ish conditions for about a week is the goal. After that, store them somewhere cool and dry.
Video
Here’s the video that goes with this post — if you want to follow along visually (and see what I’m seeing), this will help a ton:
Final Thoughts
If you want big sweet potatoes in 2025, keep it simple: start with healthy slips, give them loose soil, don’t overdo nitrogen, and be patient while those vines do their thing.
And when you finally dig them up — take your time, cure them right, and enjoy the payoff. That’s the good stuff.
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