Most holiday dinner tables will have some variation of potatoes and/or sweet potatoes. Plan now to grow your own in your organic garden for next year’s dinner!n
Many home gardeners wonder if they can plant sweet potatoes and potatoes together While they may seem similar since they both have “potato” in their names, sweet potatoes and potatoes actually come from completely different plant families However, despite not being closely related, sweet potatoes and potatoes make great companion plants in the garden!
An Overview of Sweet Potatoes vs Potatoes
While potatoes and sweet potatoes are both root vegetables, they have some key differences:
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Family Potatoes are from the nightshade or Solanaceae family, Sweet potatoes are from the morning glory or Convolvulaceae family
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Appearance: Potato skin can be brown, red, purple, yellow or white. The flesh is usually white or yellow. Sweet potato skin is brown and the flesh can be orange, yellow, purple, red, or white.
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Nutrition: Potatoes offer lots of potassium. Sweet potatoes provide high levels of vitamin A and antioxidants.
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Growing Conditions: Potatoes like cool weather and temperatures around 45°F. Sweet potatoes need hot weather and soil temperatures between 65-90°F.
So while they seem similar at first glance, potatoes and sweet potatoes actually have very different characteristics and needs.
Why Plant Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes Together?
Even though they are completely unrelated plants, potatoes and sweet potatoes make excellent companion plants for a few key reasons:
1. Similar soil requirements
Potatoes and sweet potatoes both thrive in soil with a slightly acidic pH between 5-6. They also like loose, well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. This makes it easy to grow them side-by-side.
2. Complementary planting seasons
Potatoes are planted in mid-spring once soil reaches 45°F. Sweet potatoes are planted in late spring or early summer when soil is at least 65°F. So their staggered planting times allow you to maximize garden space.
3. Natural pest protection
Research shows that interplanting potatoes and sweet potatoes may help deter pests like potato beetles and weevils.
4. Efficient use of garden space
By planting compatible veggies like potatoes and sweet potatoes together, you can produce more food from your garden.
How to Plant Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes Successfully
Here are some tips for companion planting potatoes and sweet potatoes:
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Prepare raised beds with loose, well-draining soil rich in compost. Maintain a soil pH around 5.5-6.
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Plant potatoes when soil reaches 45°F, spacing 12-15 inches apart. Sweet potatoes can be planted 4-6 weeks later when it’s warmer out.
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Space sweet potato slips 12-18 inches apart. Potatoes and sweet potatoes should be in separate rows, at least 24-36 inches apart.
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Consider adding companion plants like beans, onions or marigolds which can further deter pests and enrich soil.
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Hill soil around the base of both plants as they grow. This protects developing tubers.
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Provide potatoes and sweet potatoes with consistent moisture. Drip irrigation works well.
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Harvest potatoes after tops die back, dig gently to avoid bruising. Cure in a dark, dry spot.
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Sweet potatoes can be harvested in fall once leaves/vines start turning yellow. Cure for 7-10 days in warm conditions.
What Not to Plant With Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes
While compatible plants like beans and greens make great additions, there are some vegetables that should be avoided when planting near potatoes or sweet potatoes:
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Squash/pumpkins – These vigorous vining plants will overtake potato and sweet potato plants.
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Tomatoes/peppers – Can spread blight to potatoes and prefer different soil pH.
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Corn – Shallow rooted and will compete for nutrients.
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Cucumbers – Prone to many diseases which could spread.
While potatoes and sweet potatoes may seem like unlikely companions at first, the two unrelated vegetables can be planted side by side quite successfully.
Their similar soil preferences, staggered planting times and pest protecting qualities make potatoes and sweet potatoes ideal candidates for companion gardening. Plus interplanting them helps maximize garden space for greater yields.
With proper planting techniques and spacing, you can leverage the complementary nature of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Just be mindful of avoiding compatible plants like squash and tomatoes nearby.
How to Grow PotatoesA favorite root crop, the humble potato is easy to grow. It will store for many months, and there are countless ways to prepare it over the winter.
- Start with seed potatoes from a local farm, reputable nursery, or seed company, some of which deal exclusively in potatoes. Once you grow your own, though, you can save your own seed potatoes. These are not seeds! They are small potatoes that you cut up and plant. They will be delivered to you at planting time. Keep them cool in your refrigerator. Take them out a week before you plant in mid-spring.
- Meanwhile, prepare your soil. Potatoes are adaptable and will tolerate less than optimal soil. Ideally, though, it should be loose and well-draining with a slightly acidic pH of 5.8-6.5. Potatoes are heavy feeders, so till in lots of good quality compost.
- Potatoes need full sun and cool weather. Plant when the soil temperature is above 45ºF. Cut the seed potatoes so there are two eyes on each piece. Plant them 12-15” apart in rows 2.5’ apart, and 6-8” deep with the eyes pointing up. Cover with 4” of soil. They will sprout in a couple of weeks. When the sprouts are 8-12” tall, cover them halfway with soil. This is called ‘hilling’. Every couple weeks, hill soil around the plants again about halfway up. Continue doing this until the plants flower. Tubers will form in the soil you are hilling up.
- Potatoes need an inch of water a week, and more during dry spells. You can dig new potatoes when the plants start to flower. When the foliage begins to die back, stop watering. Two to three weeks later, harvest your full-size potatoes. Dig carefully with a dung fork. Damaged tubers are edible, but won’t keep. Cure them in a dry place for a few days to toughen the skins. They store best in cool, dark, humid conditions.
- Potatoes can be plagued by Colorado potato beetles, aphids, cutworms, wireworms, and flea beetles. Rotate your potato bed for three years to reduce infestations and diseases such as black leg, blight, verticillium wilt, and ring rot. Buy certified, resistant varieties, keep the garden clean, and water from below for a healthy potato garden.
- These are the favorite potato varieties from the Potato Association of America, and here is a recipe for Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes.
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Most holiday dinner tables will have some variation of potatoes and/or sweet potatoes. Plan now to grow your own in your organic garden for next year’s dinner!n
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Most holiday dinner tables will have some variation of potatoes and/or sweet potatoes. Plan now to grow your own in your organic garden for next year’s dinner!
BEST Way to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Store Bought Potatoes |Complete Guide!|
FAQ
What not to plant next to sweet potatoes?
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Tomatoes:These have a high appetite for phosphorus, competing with sweet potatoes for nutrients.
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Squash:Squash plants can be aggressive and outgrow sweet potatoes, shading them and competing for resources.
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Sunflowers:Sunflowers can steal nutrients and release allelochemicals into the soil that inhibit sweet potato growth.
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Other plants to avoid:Asparagus, Brassicas, carrots, cucumber, kohlrabi, melons, parsnips, rutabaga, turnips, and vining plants like cucumbers, pumpkins, and winter squashes.
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Plants that do well with sweet potatoes:Onions and garlic can help deter pests, and alyssum can attract beneficial insects.
Can I plant regular potatoes with sweet potatoes?
Many have asked, can you plant potatoes and sweet potatoes together? The answer is yes! As they are completely unrelated plants, they won’t compete with nutrients. It is important to note that they may have varying requirements for their innate crop cycle.
What is the best companion plant for potatoes?
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Beans:Beans are nitrogen-fixers, meaning they draw nitrogen from the air and deposit it in the soil, which is beneficial for potatoes.
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Peas:Similar to beans, peas are also nitrogen-fixers, enriching the soil for potatoes.
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Corn:Corn can act as a windbreak for potatoes, protecting them from strong winds, and its different growth habits allow for efficient space utilization.
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Onions and Garlic:These alliums can deter pests like aphids and nematodes, which can harm potatoes.
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Cabbage and other Brassicas:These plants have shallow root systems, so they won’t compete with potatoes for water and nutrients, and they can also attract beneficial insects.
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Lettuce, Spinach, and Radishes:These shallow-rooted vegetables can be planted between potato rows and harvested early, before the potatoes require the space.
Can you make sweet potatoes and regular potatoes together?
In a mixing bowl, combine the russet potato, red potato, sweet potato, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, garlic and chicken broth. Toss well to coat. Place into casserole dish and roast uncovered for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
How do you grow sweet potatoes in a garden?
Gardeners often use fast-growing plants (like radishes) interspersed with the slow growers in their rows to delineate where the slow growers will be. Grow sweet potatoes near some of these plants for the best results in your garden. 1. Spinach: Spinach acts as an effective cover plant, making for one of the best companion plants. 2.
What vegetables can I grow with sweet potatoes?
Some good vegetables to grow with sweet potatoes are beans such as pole beans and bush beans. These plants are good for sweet potatoes because they fix nitrogen in the soil. These companion plants will replace any nitrogen the sweet potatoes remove from the soil as they grow and mature.
Do sweet potatoes need companion plants?
Whether you’re planning your spring garden, or currently growing sweet potatoes, good companion plants will be of great assistance. Some companions feed nutrients to help sweet potatoes grow, while others provide support for sweet potato’s resistance to insect pests.
Can potatoes and sweet potatoes be grown together?
Yes, potatoes and sweet potatoes can be grown together. They are excellent companion plants and both benefit from being in close proximity to one another. They share the same ideal soil type and growing conditions.
Can you grow sweet potatoes with beets?
Potatoes, parsnips, and beets make great vegetable companion plants that can be grown together with sweet potatoes. You could grow both plants without using much of your garden’s precious space.
Can you plant sweet potatoes with a vine?
Wherever the sweet potato vine touches the ground, it produces roots. You can simply dig up these roots (which often have a small sweet potato attached) and re-plant it elsewhere. Sweet potatoes are a great cover crop. They grow incredibly fast when they’re happy! Companion planting is a good way to help ward off diseases and pests.