Growing Sweet Potato, also Kumara

Ipomoea batatas : Convolvulaceae / the morning glory family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N 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

Your comments and tips

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09 Feb 17, eric pearson (Australia - temperate climate)
Do you cut the end of runners off
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09 Feb 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
You certainly can cut the runners back. Kumera/sweet potato is a member of the same family as the blue flowered Morning Glory vine and needs containing to stop it spreading. Do not cut it back too hard as the leaves are also feeding the plant. the runners will form more sweet potatoes where they are in contact with the ground and can form roots. You could also put a stake in when you plant them next time and tie all of the growth to the stake then at the end of the season cut the growth off, let it dry and use it for mulch or compost. Trust this helps.
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16 Feb 17, Africanaussie (Australia - tropical climate)
You can eat the tender shoots like spinach!
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29 Dec 16, Robwyn Mugg (Australia - temperate climate)
When is the best time to plant sweet potato for Adelaide, S.A.? I have grown them in the past and only got a few as Curl Grubs ate the rest of my produce, they were planted in a raised bed.
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26 Nov 16, Sherry (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Where can I buy NZ Kumura to grow in my garden?
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24 Sep 16, Kay (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have planted slips that I grew about 2-3 months ago, The slips are in soil, in large plastic tubes with holes in the bottom & sides to drain as much water I can. We have had soooo much rain, & I checked the top & bottom soil. The top soil is dry, but the bottom soil is very wet. Should I leave them to do what it automatically do itself to grow, or remove the soil & slips & start again? I dug to bottom of the vines to see how they have been growing. The slips have lots of roots.
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19 Sep 16, gwen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
how long does it take to harvest the sweet potato, i planted mine in august and they are starting to grow now
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19 Sep 16, Gabrielle (Australia - temperate climate)
Lol... Not suitable for growing in Oz? Yams are a staple diet for our Indigenous Peoples, they've been growing them for centuries in Australia.
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09 Sep 16, Darla (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Growing orange sweet potato from sprouting end cut off. I have been told if I do it this way you will only get vines & no sweet potatoes. Told it was best to plant vines with roots to start with. I have rapidly growing vines, just waiting for it to die off so I can see the results.
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17 Sep 16, Lou Cowan (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi Darla. Sweet potato can be grown this way, but the shoots need to be detached from the tuber and planted out separately, otherwise all you get will be vines. We did it this way, and from one sweet potato to grow the sprouts (slips) we ended up with about 15-20 plants.
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We grow sweet potato as a perennial it in a separate bed (South Coast NSW with no frosts). I trim the lengthy vines to keep them within their bed: this seems to enhance formation of tubers, and also increases the small leafy shoots that we use as a yummy leafy vegetable (eg: Asian Stir-fry greens). We add compost and mulch when growth slows in winter, so it has plenty to feed on the following summer. We don't store the roots - just harvest and eat the roots as required.

- Barb

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