How to Grow Sweet Potato in Australia

Sweet potatoes are grown from 'slips' — rooted cuttings taken from sprouting tubers, not from seed. To produce slips, place a whole sweet potato half-submerged in water or in moist propagating mix in a warm location (25°C+). Shoots will emerge in 2–3 weeks; when shoots are 15–20cm long with roots visible, separate them from the mother tuber and plant directly.

Alternatively, buy slips from specialist nurseries or take stem cuttings (30cm long) from an established plant — sweet potato cuttings root extremely easily when placed in moist soil.

Sweet potatoes require a warm soil and long frost-free growing season. They thrive in heat and actually prefer slightly sandy, well-drained soil rather than heavy compost-rich beds — too much nitrogen produces impressive vines but small tubers. A moderate amount of compost is fine; avoid excessive fertiliser.

Spacing must account for the vine habit — vines can extend 3–5m. In raised beds, train vines vertically on a strong trellis or allow them to cascade over the bed edge and across the ground. Vertical growing in raised beds works surprisingly well, with the roots forming in the deep bed medium below.

Irrigating raised beds requires care — sweet potato is prone to root rot if soil is consistently wet. Water deeply but allow to partially dry between waterings.

Choose varieties suited to your climate: 'Beauregard' and 'Northern Star' are excellent for subtropical and tropical areas; 'Gold Rush' is well-suited to cooler climates; purple-fleshed 'Purple Haze' and 'Okinawa' are increasingly popular for their anthocyanin content.