Do you want to grow sweet potato seeds in South Dakota, but don’t know when to start them?
Starting sweet potato seeds is not as easy as it seems.
Here’s why:
- Sweet Potato Seeds must be consistenly watered, receive at least 8 hours of sunlight a day, & be kept at room temperature of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
So if you don’t consistently water them they won’t germinate. If they aren’t in a room that is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit they won’t sprout. And if it receives 8 hours of sunlight the plant itself won’t grow.
- Because South Dakota’s growing season is not long enough, sweet potato seeds cannot be sowed outside and should only be started indoors.
Because of this, I’m going to teach you the ideal time to start sweet potato seeds indoors in South Dakota:
- To Learn More About HOW to Grow Sweet Potato, Check Out This GUIDE!
When to Start Sweet Potato Seeds Indoors
Depending on the type of sweet potato, it takes roughly 40-60 days (6 to 8 weeks) to grow sweet potato from seed indoors before you can transplant them into your garden.
The approximate date of when you should start your sweet potato seeds indoors can be found by:
- Finding the last average frost date HERE
- And then subtract 60 days from it
You can also find the average last frost date for most major cities in the below chart that I have created:
To help ensure the greatest success of your sweet potato seeds germinating you should:
- Use a heat mat to ensure the gardening pot remains at 70 degrees Fahrenheit
- Use a grow light to control how much light your sweet potato seeds receive
- Water your seeds with a spray bottle to ensure your seeds are not overwatered
It should also be noted that you will not want to introduce your sweet potato plants into your garden until 2 weeks after your last frost or else your plant will potentially die or not bear vegetables.
If you want to learn WHEN to start ANY Vegetable Seed in South Dakota, head over to HERE and just type in the vegetable you want to grow.
