Growing Sweet Potato, also Kumara

Ipomoea batatas : Convolvulaceae / the morning glory family

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

(Best months for growing Sweet Potato in Australia - tropical regions)

  • P = Plant crowns
  • 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

Your comments and tips

23 Feb 14, Elisabeth (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi D James, I just harvested the tips for my vietnamese friend, she just loves them, but made it clear the fresh tips. You can use them in soups as well. She stir fries them with wood ear mushrooms and other yummy flavours. She also eats the fresh tips of the pumpkin vines as well and does something similar. I think that we need to tap into these cultures that still have a lot of their traditional foods. E Rajesh
13 Apr 14, Pat (Australia - temperate climate)
The leaves are edible. In Asia, people eat mostly the leaves. You can stir fry them with chilli and oyster sauce, or with curry powder.
17 Dec 12, Simone (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have wanted to grow sweet pot for few years now. What size plot do we need for sweet potato? How big does a single tuber grow to?
27 Nov 13, Elizabeth (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I grow mine in a 1m square bed they grow as much as you let them. the tubers can grow huge depending on how long they have in the ground at the right temperatures. My last lot seemed to be fairly small but i think i dug them up to soon, 20 cm long and 5cm diameter.
20 May 13, Wayne (Australia - temperate climate)
You can also grow in a very small plot - they grow suprisingly well suspended in a glass of water on the window sill. Use a few toothpicks to support on surface of water
28 Jan 13, Kevin (Australia - temperate climate)
You need an area that will allow the runners that will grow from the cut pieces of tubers to run over a large area, Mine grow over approx 6x6 metres and still want to spread. Tubers can grow up to at least around 2 kilos or more.
01 Jul 12, Peter Jakob (Australia - temperate climate)
i am living in melbourne has anyone grown maori kumara in Australia or is it possible to do so?
23 Aug 12, Ferry (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
i have been growing sweet potatoes for about two years i am still tweaking things to see what works best but it is defiantly possible. i live in the central coast and i harvested my first two of the season two days ago. i found it easier to start from a roots i got from a friend, that had started sprouting rather than planting seeds. they need quite a bit of sun but not full sun through the hottest of summer. i started with 3 roots with multiple spouts and harvested none in the first year to double my plants. this year i had to cut back half of them as i did not have room! some garden shops sell ornamental sweet potato that is not edible. my ones tasted just like sweet potato but fresher. my favorite way of eating them are peeled raw in salads, in pumpkin soup or lightly fried as a side
28 Mar 12, Raelene (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm not sure if it's the same type of sweet potato, but in Asia we eat the leaves - cook them lightly like spinach. From the photo on right it looks the same - I have just been given some shoots.... (Bear in mind this is different to potato leaves which cannot be eaten!)
12 Oct 11, Sean Gallagher (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Can you grow from store bought Sweet Potato
Showing 151 - 160 of 196 comments

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