Have you already got a taste for the delicious sweet potato? You have probably also purchased your own sweet potato plant so that you can benefit from a productive harvest. You eagerly watch the shoots develop all year round and can hardly stand the anticipation of the vegetables you have grown yourself. But when is it finally time to harvest the tubers? After all, you certainly don't want to pull unripe sweet potatoes out of the ground. Then all the patience would have been in vain. With the tips for sweet potato harvesting time on this page, this will definitely not happen to you.
When is the best time to harvest sweet potatoes?
The optimal sweet potato harvest time is in autumn, usually in October. Signs that sweet potatoes are ripe include yellowing leaves on the plant. The tubers should be carefully dug out with a digging fork on a dry day.
When to harvest?
Sweet potatoes are harvested in autumn. The tubers are usually ripe in October. They are still available in supermarkets all year round. Once you have dug your sweet potatoes out of the ground, you should store them in a dark place for about two to three weeks. During this time, the starch converts into sugar and the vegetables develop their sweet taste.
This is how you recognize ripe sweet potatoes
The ideal harvest time for many types of vegetables can be easily identified by the color or hardness of the pulp or peel. However, sweet potatoes grow entirely underground. The leaves of the plant indicate a ripe fruit. If it turns yellow, you can dig it up.
This is what you need to pay attention to
- harvest the sweet potatoes on a dry day
- use a digging fork (€31.00 on Amazon)
- be careful not to damage the tuber (risk of rot during storage)
- store the sweet potato for one to two days before eating
- wash the sweet potato well after harvesting
Early Harvest
If the first frost is already in September, you should harvest your sweet potatoes early. The sensitive root vegetables cannot tolerate frost. After longer storage, you don't have to worry about any compromises in terms of taste.
