Sweet Potato is an annual grown for its root, ready to pull about 110 days after sowing. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 11 and handles dry spells once it's established. Its summer flowers are a modest draw for honeybees, even though the root is the prize.
Zones
3-11
pH Range
4-8.7
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
110
Score Sweet Potato on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether sweet potato actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score sweet potato against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
What Sweet Potato is
Sweet Potato grows as an annual and reaches around a foot at maturity. It blooms purple in summer.
How to grow Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato grows in USDA zones 3 through 11 and is ready to harvest about 110 days after planting. Sweet Potato does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4 to 8.7. It needs around 2,400 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 80 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4 - 8.7
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
plant_species_v5.csv
Drainage
Data pending
plant_species_v5.csv
Frost Tolerance
50°F
plant_species_v5.csv
Days to Maturity
110 days
Sweet potato; from slips/transplants.
NCSU-Sweet
GDD Required
2400+
plant_species_v5.csv
Mature Height
1 ft
plant_species_v5.csv
Frost-Free Days
80+
plant_species_v5.csv
Sow directly
Sow sweet potato seed straight into the bed — root crops germinate fast and resent transplanting. Give them full sun.
Match the soil
Sweet Potato prefers pH 4 to 8.7 (USDA PLANTS Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at maturity
Sweet Potato is ready about 110 days after sowing (NCSU-Sweet). Pull while roots are young and tender — sweeter than oversized ones.
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — sweet potato isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Sweet Potato offers low value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership.)
Where Sweet Potato thrives
On hardiness alone, sweet potato grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 3 through 11) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
Zones 3–11·Where Sweet Potato growsOpen map →
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Sweet Potato can grow in these states:
See if Sweet Potato will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether sweet potato actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Sweet Potato in my zone?
Sweet Potato grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Sweet Potato take to grow?
Sweet Potato is ready to harvest about 110 days after planting (NCSU-Sweet). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Sweet Potato?
Most growers plant sweet potato after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 80-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Sweet Potato need?
Sweet Potato needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Sweet Potato need?
Sweet Potato prefers soil pH 4 to 8.7 (USDA PLANTS Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Sweet Potato attract pollinators?
Yes — sweet potato's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees (Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership).
Is Sweet Potato safe for pets?
Sweet Potato is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data (ASPCA). Always supervise pets around new plantings.