Growing Sweet Potato, also Kumara

Ipomoea batatas : Convolvulaceae / the morning glory family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
          T            

(Best months for growing Sweet Potato in Canada - Zone 4b Temperate Warm Summer regions)

  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • Plant shoots or cuttings (Slips). Best planted at soil temperatures between 17°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 40 - 60 cm apart
  • Harvest in 15-17 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Best in Separate bed
  • New shoots on Kumara
  • Well grown Kumara

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

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I have experimented with kumara for several years in Greymouth with mixed success so last summer tried growing them in old car tyres. Their black colour absorbs heat thereby increasing soil temperature. Three sets of tyres were used, each stacked two high. These were placed inside our tunnel house on the surface in a sunny position and filled with soil, with one slip allowed to grow from each central position from late November. Harvesting took place in early April, producing a total yield of 9 kg, with about 60% of shop quality, my best result yet. When I harvested the tubers I saw that they were confined to centres of potential growth areas, with no root development at their circumferences inside the tyre rims. Therefore over half of the volume of soil in each pair of tyres was not utilised. This year I will plant 2 sllps per tyre pair, positioned diametrically opposite, with root ends inside the rims to see if this will give a better result. I am interested in hearing from anyone else who has tried growing kumara in tyres. .

- Henk Stengs

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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