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 USA - Zone 5a 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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14 Aug 10, Lisa (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Has anyone had luck planting kumera/sweet potato (any type) in cool zones? If I protect from frost and wind would it be possible..and where to get the plants (especially purple) ?
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11 Oct 10, (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in Melbourne and a ex Kiwi. Can you tell me please if one is able to but the NZ kumaras here?
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11 May 11, Carrie (Australia - temperate climate)
I work for a company which sells sweet potato and the Kumaras you talk about sound like what we call Beauregard orange in flesh and skin.
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02 Feb 12, kate azzopardi (Australia - temperate climate)
yes u can. i've seen them at the dandenong market. i've seen them at only a few stalls towards the back. not knowing what they were, my kiwi friend that was with me filled me in. they're open tues/fri/sat. great for meat and top quaity fruit and vegies..
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22 Dec 10, neil (Australia - tropical climate)
I read an artical about Sweet Potato/Kumara that planting in wet weather is not a good idea. It went on, to wait until it drys up a little then plant, about April?
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04 Aug 11, georgi (Australia - tropical climate)
hi neil i plant all year round, wet or dry
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17 Mar 11, Kim Davies (USA - Zone 5a climate)
I ate kumara everyday when visiting NZ and loved it! Because it was less sweet than USA sweet potatoes. I am craving it and need to find out how and if I can get seeds and grow it in Virginia? Would love your help on this!
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01 May 11, Mark (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live in the Hunter Valley and the major supermarkets stock gold swt potato all the time.I believe they grow like regular potatos, so try buying some and store them in the cupbaord until they shoot.
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11 May 11, Carrie (Australia - temperate climate)
They don't grow like regular potatoes and some of our customers have suggested they have harvested up to 40kg off the one tuber. Good stuff.
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20 May 11, syd smith (Australia - temperate climate)
the wife looks after our sweetpotato and although she does plant part of the actual potato she mainly gets some of the runners with roots on and plants them in a differant part of the garden and she gets plenty off them,so need to spend money on buying s/pots
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Showing 31 - 40 of 306 comments
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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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