Northern Queensland Permaculture

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Sweet Potato

Botanical Information

Botanical Information
Order Solanales
Family Covlvulaceae
Genus Impomea
Common Name Sweet Potato
Species

Maturity days

  • 90

Planting Months

Planting months
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
X X X X X X X X X X X X

Permaculture uses

Permaculture uses
Usage 1 Usage 2 Usage 3
Pioneer Ground_cover Vegetable

Growing condition comments

Growing Condition Comment
Drought Tolerant
Humidity tolerant Yes
Planting area Garden_bed
Sunlight Full_sun

Photos

Photos
Sweet potato growing on a trelis

Short comments

Scrambling vine. Edible leaves like spinnach. Can be trained onto a trelis. Grow tubers in deep as possible, to restrict the ability for the sweet potato weevil to damage the tubers.

General comments

Ecology

Best planted in separate beds. Require long warm growing season. Plant in free draining soil. Fertilise before planting, too much fertiliser will encourage vine growth rather than tuber growth.

Dry harvested tubers in sun for a couple of days following harvesting, then store in a cool dry place.

Companion plant with Cowpea.

Uses

Ground cover, edible.

Food

Use mashed, boiled, roasted, baked or fried. Or use in soups, pies, casseroles, curries and salads. Leaves are edible and are cooked like spinach.

Planting Depth

Harder soil with a mulch layer will promote fatter tubers, whereas friable soil can promote longer and skinnier tubers.

Growth from supermarket

Sweet potato's can be grown from tubers purchased from the supermarket. Beware that this can introduce disease into your garden.

  • Wash the potato
  • Leave in cupboard to sprout
  • Plant

Alternatively, you can cut the tuber into 25mm chunks, allow the sides to dry and then place in a saucer of water to promote growth, watch for mold and change the water as necessary.

Pests

The most serious pest is the sweet potato weevil. These pests will damage tubers if they are exposed to the surface, they burrow through the tubers which spoil them. Tubers are best planted deeper and kept hidden from the surface to prevent weevil damage. Damage looks like lots of tiny holes bitten out of the exposed tubers. Not all surface damaged tubers will contain the weevils but the risks of internal damage do increase.

Ants if they are near by will attack the weevils. If this pest is detected, it is best that future crops are moved elsewhere rather than being replanted in the same spot.

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