PLANT it NOW

SWEET POTATO

Sweet potato thrives in the heat and can be planted now in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate areas. The sweet potato plant is a vine, and it is generally propagated by cuttings. If you know someone who is growing it, ask for some cuttings to get you started. If not, plant a store-bought tuber. Just lay it on the surface, cover it with soil and water it. Soon, it will start developing shoots, which you can use for cutting material. Take cuttings about 30–60cm long, remove all the leaves except for a couple at the tip, then bury the entire length of the cutting in a shallow trench with just the leaves sticking out of the ground. Keep moist, and it will form roots and start growing within a week.

It prefers sandy loams but will grow in heavy soils that are mounded and improved with plenty of compost. The vines are extremely vigorous and take over when they get going, so give them a bed to themselves or a decent bare patch somewhere in a sunny to semi-shaded spot. Be prepared to trim back all the wandering vines in mid-summer when they really take off!

Don’t waste the tender tips. They are a handy and delicious addition to a summer stir-fry.