Sweet potatoes, should I harvest now?
 

Is it to early to be harvesting sweet potatoes or is now a good time. The temps are starting to hit the low 50s at night around here and the leaves are yellowing but I'm not sure if it's the right time.

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I wait untill the nights are low 40s. They will continue to gain size the longer they grow. I don't water as much the last couple of weeks before I dig. When I was a kid in Oxford Mass. we never grew them. A southern crop.

I read somewhere that temps below 50 are bad for sweet potatoes. The taters in the ground will stay warm on 40 degree nights so that should be ok just don't store them in a cool place. They aren't like irish potatoes. I made that mistake & they don't last long. Also helps to cure them for storage. I spread mine out in a single layer on newspapers & cover them with towels & sprinkle water on the towels to keep humidity high while they cure. I believe they can be done in as little as 3 days at 90 degrees & high humidity, but my house is around 80 so I let them go for a week or more before I store them. I just keep them in boxes in cabinets in the kitchen.

I forgot to mention, also it helps to dig & handle gently. Not damaging the skin really improves storage. Some people even use cotton gloves when handling them.

Google how to cure & store them. I was surprised to find they need high heat & humidity & are better stored in the kitchen than the basement. That is the mistake I always made & then wondered why they didn't last.