Your comments and tips

11 May 17, Jody Waaka (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Kia ora.Im thinking of starting a kumara garden soon.Where do you buy the seed from

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13 May 17, Leslie Viljoen (New Zealand - temperate climate)

I'm not an expert but if you cut a Kumara into pieces, it will grow vines from the "eyes". We have one growing like crazy - but since it's cold now I think it's going to die.

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15 May 17, Daniel (Australia - temperate climate)

With Kumeras, they will grow if you plant a whole kumara but they wont produce tubers. The shoots that do grow from that can be used as cuttings, and as these new cuttings grow, you will get the Kumera tubers growing from those new plants. Needs a long warm summer to grow bigger tubers! Hope that helps

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07 May 17, Carol (Australia - temperate climate)

It is may and we have harvested some sweet potatoes - what I want to know is can I plant any of these smaller potatoes (as one would with seed potatoes) and let them grow through Winter? we have no frosts, or do I have to begine the plant again in Nov from a sprouting? I am just thinking it would seem good to take the smaller potato and plant in a new bed thro winder for an earlier crop?

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07 May 17, Jonno (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

There is no reason why you couldn't save and plant the small tubers. They may not grow much in the cooler weather and you would need to ensure the soil is well drained so that they do not rot. Sweet potatoes are mostly grown from cuttings for ease and speed.

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18 May 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I live in Bundaberg (summer low 20's to low 30's C and winter low 10's to low 20's C - does get down to 4-6 a few nights)- now the sweet potato capital of Aussie. Sweet potatoes are planted all year round here. Quite often we see people in a sweet potato patch picking cuttings or runners to plant a new block of SP. I haven't seen the runners but I think if you plant it and keep it watered it will start making roots in a few days. Plenty of SP being planted now.

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05 May 17, Don Latham (Australia - temperate climate)

HI, I'm near Kingaroy in Qld and my sweet potatoes have started to flower. I first grew them in a soil pile in the paddock, but didn't tend to them much and the kangaroos ate the leaves and vines as they were the only green plant around. I harvested some great tasting tubers and moved them to a proper garden bed closer to the house. I have also grown Kent pumpkins in the same bed with them, the pumpkins are almost finished. The sweet potatoes have grown long vine runners and now are starting to flower, they did not flower in their original soil pile. What does the flowering part mean? Is it like my sebago potatoes, nearing harvest time when they flower? This is only my second attempt to grow sweet potatoes and your input is greatly appreciated.

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06 May 17, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)

Sweet potatoes and Potatoes are both tubers. They start forming while the plant is actively growing but don't ripen until after flowering. Potatoes that are harvested early are called 'new' potatoes and do not keep very long.

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02 May 17, Pou TeRongomau (New Zealand - temperate climate)

October and November best time to grow kumara in the Waikato Hamilton area.

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30 Apr 17, Barb (Australia - temperate climate)

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.

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