Proper Harvesting, Curing Key to Sweet Potato Storage

The window to harvest sweet potatos is fairly wide depending on size preference. Photo by Jason VanceBy Jason Vance Sweet potato harvest is underway in some parts of the country, and growers still have several weeks to dig their crops, depending on the size of the roots they want and the arrival of cold weather. Kansas State University Extension horticulture expert Matt McKernan said sweet potatoes differ from many other fruits and vegetables because they do not reach a specific stage of maturity that signals they are ready to harvest. “Sweet potatoes just continue to grow and grow and grow until they’ve reached the desired size where you’re ready to harvest them, or we start to get our first onset of cold weather and the plants are killed by frost and freezes,” McKernan said. Many gardeners prefer sweet potatoes measuring 3 to 9 inches long and 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter. However, the roots can continue growing much larger if left in the ground.

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