Growing Sweet Potato, also Kumara

Ipomoea batatas : Convolvulaceae / the morning glory family

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Not recommended for growing in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions

Plant shoots or cuttings (Slips). Best planted at soil temperatures between 63°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
Space plants: 16 - 24 inches apart
Harvest in 15-17 weeks.
Compatible with (can grow beside): Best in Separate bed

Sweet Potatoes require a long warm growing season. Plant in free draining loose soil. Fertilise before planting but no more when the plants are growing as it will encourage vine growth. They will go for miles and you will get no tubers. If they do start spreading, lift the vines off the ground to prevent them rooting.

Mound up the soil about 20 cm (8 in) before planting. Let the plants die down, (leaves die or turn yellow) before harvesting the tubers. Dry them in the sun for a few days. then store in a cool dry place for up to five months.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Sweet Potato

Use mashed, boiled, roasted, baked or fried. Or use in soups, pies, casseroles, curries and salads.

Your comments and tips

20 Feb 25, Phillip (Australia - arid climate): When do you plant sweet potatoes or potatoes in the Tara Queensland region
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31 Jan 25, Kieron McPherson (Australia - tropical climate): Hello there in 2023 I bought 2 sweet potato pots from bunnings and we planted in our avocado orchard and just let it run wild for a few months, when it came time to harvest I got 100kg of sweet potatoes my question is why do you say- They will go for miles and you will get no tubers. Was I just lucky or is there more to it than that?
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29 Dec 24, Gordon EDWARD Bradberry (Australia - sub-tropical climate): where do we get seedlings from
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05 Jan 25, (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Best to use a piece of the vine (slip) from a growing plant about 450mm long. Plant in a shallow trench under the soil with the growing tip out of the soil. Keep well watered.
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24 Nov 24, Maree (Australia - tropical climate): Can you sprout sweet potato seedlings from shop bought sweet potatoes?
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02 Dec 24, (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Yes
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18 Nov 24, Care (USA - Zone 8b climate): How to make light and airy soil for planting sweet potatoes?
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01 Nov 24, Dot Wise (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): Just planted 100 kumara slips (tipu). Hope to harvest by Waitangi weekend.
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25 Mar 24, Peter (New Zealand - temperate climate): Planted 10 kumera slips in October 2023.... Harvested 50% of them 5 in March 2024....massive green foliage but sadly 6small (very small) finger sized harvest kumera is the only result...starting to get cooler but leaves still dark green....do I leave them in till the weather of leaves change. ( Auckland grower)
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07 Apr 24, Marc (New Zealand - temperate climate): leave Kumara in the ground at least until mid April. Leaves start to die off or in Auckland slow down in growth. Make sure the edges of the bed are well mulched, this will keep the moisture in the ground and the top soil cool (cooler). I harvest the orange (Beaumont) ones first, followed by the red, then purple and gold as last. there is about a week between harvests. Allow the kumara to dry before storage other wise they will rot. Keep them well protected from rats, my first red kumara harvest was approx 20kg until the rats consumed them in 4 nights to 2 kg.
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Replying to:

Hi there :-) found this thread while looking for a diagram of kumara (sweet potato) and thought this info might help you Jason. In early Feb, had this awesome fella come show us how to plant kumara in the traditional way, used successfully by Maori before European colonisation. I recently emailed him asking for general care and cultivation tips... this was his reply: "Kia ora ano sis, chur mean, glad to hear the kumara are in abundance! Have y'all pulled the runners up yet? - about 3 weeks ago you shouldve pulled up the runners on a sunny day and exposed the roots to the sun for a few hours to kill them. Otherwise the plants direct energy away from the tubers and into setting down new roots via the runners and your kumara wont be as big as they could. If you havent done it yet, still do! At that point you can also start harvesting the new shoots of vine growth - pick leaves and vines that are still that brighter green and use it like puha or watercress. If you eat mature leaves it might upset your stomach so kia tupato! (you probably already know all this!). This has same effect of directing energy to the tubers." For your reference, "puha and watercress" are greens that can be added to salads or boiled/blanched similar to spinach and silverbeet and "kia tupato" means I need to "be careful" - eating mature leaves can be harmful! Well, I am off to pull up the runners and expose them to the sun! Glad there is some today :-) Good luck with the kumara growing!! "As the garden grows so does the gardener." - Proverb

- Starrlite

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GardenGrow

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Sweet Potato, also Kumara

Ipomoea batatas : Convolvulaceae / the morning glory family

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Sweet Potato

Your comments and tips

GardenGrow

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Sweet Potato, also Kumara

Ipomoea batatas : Convolvulaceae / the morning glory family

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Sweet Potato

Your comments and tips

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