You are welcome. Can you leave potatoes in the ground for winter storage, like carrots, or do they have to be harvested?
No. Sweet potatoes are a 'hot' weather crop all the way around. But they do need water. The lightest frost will kill the leaves. I was told it turns the plant bitter and can send that bitterness back to the sweet potato. So I always pull the vines at the slightest hint of even a light frost. Sweet potatoes bruise and sun burn easily so they have to be dug carefully and moved to the shade almost as quickly as dug.
I do not wash mine after I dig them, and lay them spread out flat until they dry out a bit. Then I can store them in room temp area, works out for me that place is in the laundry room where the furnace and hot water heater are. They need air movement but not direct light. After drying out I put the small ones in a large paper bag to save for next year's sweet potato slips. (sorry for the delayed answer I got interrupted.)