How to Cure and Store Sweet Potatoes
Dig before frost, do not wash, cure 4 to 7 days at 80 to 85F and 85 to 90% humidity, then store at 55 to 60F. Never refrigerate sweet potatoes.
Published by ThriveThyme
sweet potato curing storage fall harvest
The Short Answer
Dig sweet potatoes before frost and before the soil drops below 50F. Do not wash them. Cure for 4 to 7 days at 80 to 85F and 85 to 90% humidity. Then store at 55 to 60F and 85 to 90% humidity. Never put raw sweet potatoes in the fridge. Cured roots keep 4 to 7 months.
Track your frost countdown on the Harvest Storage Desk.
Why Curing Matters
Fresh-dug sweet potatoes are not very sweet and bruise easily. Curing heals cuts and scrapes, toughens the skin, and starts turning starch into sugar. Uncured roots rot sooner and taste flat.
How to Cure at Home
- Handle roots gently. Every bruise is a place for rot to start.
- Brush off loose soil. Do not wash.
- Set roots in a box or crate in the warmest room you have, about 80 to 85F.
- Raise the humidity by covering the box loosely with plastic. N.C. Cooperative Extension suggests this home method for 5 to 7 days.
- Leave a little airflow so water does not drip on the roots.
How to Store
- Keep cured roots at 55 to 60F with 85 to 90% humidity. An interior closet or a basement room that stays above 55F works.
- Store them dark, in a box or basket with some airflow.
- Do not refrigerate. Alabama Cooperative Extension notes that a few days at 50F, or shorter spells colder, can cause discolored flesh, off flavors, hard cores when cooked, and more decay.
- Check every few weeks and use any soft roots first.
Quick Reference
| Step | Temperature | Humidity | Time | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Cure | 80 to 85F | 85 to 90% | 4 to 7 days | | Store | 55 to 60F | 85 to 90% | 4 to 7 months |
Next Steps
1. See the sweet potato plant page for next year's planting window. 2. Store the rest of the harvest with the Harvest Storage Desk. 3. Check what else to pick on what to harvest before the first frost.