Gardening with Gael: Sweet potato has distinct flavour

EASY CARE: Under the right conditions, kumara shoots will go crazy, like this experiment in my kitchen.

During the humid summer weeks the kumaras in my vegetable cupboard began to grow long healthy shoots. The thought of cutting them off and throwing them away did not appeal to me at all. Not ever having grown kumara I decided to experiment. Normally kumara only need scrubbing before cooking but the ones with shoots I peeled and placed in an assortment [see picture] of containers on my bench.

“I don’t think this is how you grow kumara,” said Box, who has grown them in the past, observing the creation of a jungle on my bench. I haven’t said anything. I just can’t bear the idea of not continuing with my wonderfully healthy plants. What the photo doesn’t show are the masses of roots growing from each shoot. Off up to the Block I went at the first sign of rain. One of the terraces looks ideal. I have weeded it ready for my small plants.

‘Now,’ I thought to myself, ‘time to find out what the requirements of the kumara are.’ Kumara, also known as sweet potato, belong to the morning glory family [Ipomoea batatas] and are a herbaceous perennial vine. They are not related in any way to potatoes. They are a sub tropical/tropical crop which do not like temperatures under 10 degrees. They have a growing season of three to six months. The sensible thing is to plant in October so the growing season is during the warm months, ready to be harvested in autumn. Now is the kumara season.

They prefer a light soil enriched with organic matter. I remember my first mother-in-law, Rua Murray, growing them on the Tara where the rich volcanic soil is perfect for them. The terrace on the Block at Hakaru has the right requirements as well. The possums Box has buried in it are well rotted down, evidence of which I gained on Sunday. I turned over the soil, exposing  a possum skull which was pounced on by a delighted Barney who promptly took it away and buried it. The soil needs mounding slightly with plenty of room for the plant to spread out. Kumara vines need plenty of space between the rows. As they grow it is recommended to lift any vines that are lying on the ground and check they are not putting down new roots which may inhibit the growth of large tubers.

Once the plants are in there is no need to feed them any more organic matter because the growth will then all go into the leaves. Weeding is only necessary at the beginning because, as the vines grow, they shade out the weeds. Quite easy care plants really.

A great source of information about the kumara can be gained from The Kumara Box in Dargaville. Situated on the Poutu Road  about 10 minutes south of Dargaville, Ernie and Mavis have a wealth of local knowledge about the kumara and its history in the area. They are harvesting their kumaras now, a little later than usual because of the drought. They grow the three main varieties: Owairaka, the red/purple variety, gold Toka Toka and the orange cultivar Beaureguard. I explained to Mavis about the forest on my bench. “Oh dear,” she said. “If left they will grow all over your kitchen and I am afraid, will come to nothing. If you plant them out they will just die off in the cold.”