Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Hello to anyone reading this.
We had a fabulous sweet potato harvest recently. 24.7kg of orange sweet potatoes or Kumaras I think they are called.
 This year was very good for them here in the mountains of Victoria. Last year we got none, the year before, our first we got a big basin full.

I am asked how do I grow these, well here is my secret.
I have a plant growing all year in my polytunnel, yes it dies down over Winter but it doesn't rot off like they do outside in the ground.
And in Spring when it warms up quicker than outside I take cuttings and get them rooting early and plant them out when the ground has warmed a bit, around November.
Some mushroom compost dug into a spot and plant away. They do like a fair bit of water but that's ok, more water more tubers, its an investment.
Don't worry if you don't have a polyhouse or glasshouse, just take some cuttings in early autumn, grow them in a big pot and keep it in the house over winter. Very little water, none really but keep it protected from the elements and the roots should keep over Winter, put it in a sunny window as the weather warms, give it a bit of water and wait for the shoots to appear. You can always up end it as Spring approaches and check to see if there are roots in the soil first.
Have a go!