Can You Put Sweet Potatoes on a Trellis?

Normal Growing Conditions

• Sweet potato vines usually lie on top of the ground and spread out a couple of feet on either side. This is one of the reasons why you should leave lots of room between plants. Spaced too closely, the result will be a mass of sweet potato leaves blocking the hills and choking out nearby plants. The roots also need enough room to grow to an appreciable size and not become stunted because there is too much competition for nutrients.

Trellising Those Grown for Food

• The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum recommends trellising sweet potatoes cultivated for food if you have a small garden. This way, you can keep the row of sweet potatoes on the trellis and free more room for other vegetables because the vines will grow up instead of out. The arboretum has published a garden schematic on its website that features 1.5 feet total for the sweet potatoes and trellis -- that’s no more than 3/4 feet on either side of the plants, instead of a standard 3 feet. This illustrates how much space you can save by using a trellis. It also eliminates a potential hiding spot for destructive garden pests.

Ornamental Sweet Potatoes

• Ornamental sweet potatoes often are grown on trellises. These are the same species as the type you eat, but as Jennifer Schultz Nelson of the University of Illinois Extension writes, the ornamental plants are cultivated for decorative foliage rather than food value. The tubers are not nearly as colorful and tasty as those grown specifically for food. When buying sweet potato slips, ensure you are buying the correct type because you will not be able to tell just from the species name.

Growing Conditions

• Even if using a trellis, the roots must have the proper conditions to grow into fat tubers -- all the trellis will do is get the vines out of the way. Plant the slips at least 1 foot apart but aim for 1.5 feet. The University of Illinois Extension recommends planting them in a mound, or mounded row, in order to keep them dry and avoid rot.