Your comments and tips

01 May 17, Giovanni (Australia - temperate climate)

Good comment about the greens. I will try it. I am further south, well into Victoria and we can grow them.

Reply or Post a new comment

20 Apr 17, Vicki (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi I live west of Inverell NSW and have been growing Sweet potatoes for a few years now in wicking beds and have been getting a good harvest each year why is it that temperate areas for this veggie are not recommended to be grown here. You are right when you say the vines will travel one of mine was going up a palm tree. I find your sight very informative thank you.

Reply or Post a new comment

21 Apr 17, Jo (Australia - temperate climate)

They are often not recommended for temperate areas because of shorter seasons. If you strike them from cuttings and get them growing early you should be able to harvest a good crop. I Know of them growing in Toowoomba (cold winters) and they were bordering on being weeds. They are also grown by many people in southern Victoria.

Reply or Post a new comment

24 Mar 17, Bob (USA - Zone 9b climate)

Trying to find some Evangeline sweet potato slips. I've only been able to find commercial quantities. Any help appreciated

Reply or Post a new comment

27 Dec 20, Rick (USA - Zone 9b climate)

Bob, I had the same problem so I ordered a couple of sweet potato's from Walmart. I tried to grow them on my counter to no avail. I went on YouTube and found out that stores buy potato's that have been sprayed to prevent sprouts. Best if you buy your potatoes from a farmers market. Wash them, then cut them in half. Plant the half's in a good compost and keep moist. You should see slips growing out of your potatoes in a few weeks. I found it time consuming but it works! Best of luck to you.

Reply or Post a new comment

24 Mar 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

'Evangeline' was developed at a horticultural research institute in Louisiana and has Intellectual Property Rights. This means that it could only be available to commercial growers who probably pay a royalty for the slips for their crops. You could try the Sweet Potato Research Station at: PO Box 120, Chase LA 71324. These restrictions seem onerous for home gardeners but help pay for the development costs for new varieties. Try them, they may be willing to send you a few slips.

Reply or Post a new comment

19 Mar 17, Sandy Greer (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Thanks for that, but I also remember some Maori potatoes being very similar also to the look of this type I ate..my ex use to grow a lot of heirloom veges and it looked similar to what hr grew back then... Might buy 1 again and grow it to see how it grows...as a vine or an up right plant.

Reply or Post a new comment

16 Mar 17, Sandy.G (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Hi there, I bought a bag of mixed kumara & in it was 5 varieties & 1 was a purple fleshed purple kumara. I think its maybe a relative of potato.. as I am allergic to nightshade family & on eating 1 of these set my tongue and throat tingling, spat it oit and rinsed my mouth out.. any ideas!?

Reply or Post a new comment

17 Mar 17, Ken (Australia - temperate climate)

Potato is a member of the Solanum (nightshade) family while kumara (sweet potato) is a member of the Ipomoea family which includes other plants such as Morning Glory, a totally different Genus.The purple 'kumara' may have been a knobbly potato packed with the others by mistake.

Reply or Post a new comment

09 Mar 17, Lhatso (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Hi do you know where I could buy the purple sweet potato that is purple flesh in side the skin as well.This variety is Grown in Japan

Reply or Post a new comment