Can a Sweet Potato Vine Be Grown Vertically?

Vegetable Plants

• Sweet potatoes sprawl over the garden bed without proper support. The plants take up more room and leave less space for other crops. Fences, trellises and stakes all supply suitable supports for the long vines. The vines can block out sunlight to nearby lower-growing crops. Planting the sweet potatoes on the north side of the bed allows you to grow them vertically without filtering the light to other plants. Growing vertically also prevents the vines from choking out other crops.

Ornamental Plants

• The long vines and brightly colored flowers make sweet potatoes an attractive addition to the ornamental garden. You can use either edible or ornamental sweet potato varieties for decorative plantings. Use vertical vines to provide privacy or shade to patios and outdoor living areas. Plant them along unattractive fence lines so the vines and flowers can dress up and camouflage the fence. Potted sweet potatoes also grow well with support. Use small pot espaliers or stakes for potted vine support.

Support Options

• Utilitarian supports suffice for the vegetable garden. Plain wooden stakes and bamboo poles work well if they provide sufficient height for the mature vines. A sweet potato vine can reach up to 6 feet tall at maturity. More decorative supports complement ornamental vines. Iron trellises, stakes and lattice panels provide sufficient support without looking plain. Use shorter supports and trim back the tips of the vines regularly if you prefer lower growing plants, such as in container or basket plantings.

Care Tips

• Vertical sweet potatoes require regular watering since the soil surface is left exposed to evaporation. Cover garden beds with a sheet of plastic with slits cut above each sweet potato and guide the vines through to grow up the trellis. Use wood chips or other organic mulches in decorative plantings. Vertical sweet potatoes generally require the same care as plants left to sprawl. The potatoes do grow up the support on their own so they rarely require tying. If a vine does sag, tie it loosely to the support with a cloth plant tie.