Sweet Potatoes Aren't Just for Southern Gardens
A lot of gardeners in colder climates assume sweet potatoes need a long, hot Southern summer. They don't. I've been growing them in my Zone 6 garden here in Utah for six seasons now, and they've become one of my favorite crops.
In this course, I'll show you exactly how I do it. You'll learn when to plant, how to get your slips off to a strong start, how to care for the vines through the summer, and how to harvest, cure, and store your sweet potatoes so they taste their best.
I'll also show you how to grow your own slips from the sweet potatoes you harvest, so you don't have to buy new ones every spring.
It's 10 lessons and about 90 minutes of video, plus a printable growing guide you can keep in the garden shed.Whether you garden on a patio or manage a market plot, you’ll finish with a repeatable plan that saves time, boosts yields, and cuts losses. You’ll gain practical skills that translate directly to lower grocery bills, nutrient-dense meals, resilient food systems, and even a profitable niche crop. Plus, you’ll pick up quick troubleshooting checklists and seasonal calendars you can use right away in the real world.
Made for Short Seasons
Timing, planting, and care methods tested in a Zone 6 garden, so you can grow sweet potatoes where people say you can't.
Grow Your Own Slips
Use a few of this year's sweet potatoes to start next year's plants, instead of buying slips every spring.
Harvest to Storage
When to dig, how to cure, and how to store your sweet potatoes so they taste their best.
What's Inside:
- History and Nutrition of Sweet Potatoes (10 min): Where sweet potatoes came from, and why they're worth a spot in your garden.
- Where and When to Plant (6 min): How to pick the right spot and time your planting so they're ready before fall.
- How to Plant Sweet Potatoes (7 min): How to get your slips in the ground so they get off to a strong start.
- Caring for Your Growing Sweet Potatoes (6 min): Watering, feeding, and managing the vines through the summer.
- You Can Eat the Leaves! (2 min): A bonus harvest most gardeners don't know about.
- Harvesting Your Sweet Potatoes (17 min): When to dig, and how to do it without damaging the roots.
- Curing and Storing (11 min): The step a lot of gardeners skip, and why it makes your sweet potatoes sweeter and helps them keep longer.
- Growing Your Own Slips (20 min): How to turn this year's harvest into next year's plants.
- Common Sweet Potato Questions (11 min): Answers to the questions I get asked most.
- Printable Growing Guide: A one-stop reference to keep with your garden supplies.
Buying this in the fall? Start with lessons 6, 7, and 8. They'll help you get the most out of this year's harvest and save a few roots to grow your own slips next spring.
Your Instructor
Hi, I'm Rick Stone. I've been gardening organically for more than 30 years, and I'm a Utah State University Master Gardener. My backyard garden here in Utah's Zone 6 produces 800–1,100 pounds of food most seasons. You may know me from my YouTube channel, Stoney Acres Gardening, where 170,000 gardeners follow along as I grow.
I've been teaching gardening online for 10 years, and I've grown sweet potatoes for six seasons. This course covers everything I've learned about them, from getting slips started to digging, curing, and storing the harvest. I also run The Gardening Academy, an online membership where I teach six new mini-courses like this one every year.