WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN THIS WEEK

It can be hard to tell when to dig for kūmara but as a rule, they take five months from planting to harvest. If the spring and summer have been cold, tubers may be slow to reach maturity.

• Harvesting Before committing to digging the whole bed up, do some careful bandicooting in a couple of places to see what’s happening underground. Size isn’t the only thing to look for, as only mature kūmara will store well, so check the skin is firm and cut into a couple: The cut sides will dry quickly if the kūmara is ready to store.

If your kūmara is not ready yet, lift and tie the leafy runners like a topknot on top of plants. This will stop their energy going into leafy growth, which can put down roots. Also make sure the tubers are well buried. Mound up the soil around them if not.

If your tubers are ready to harvest, ideally lift them after three or four days of dry weather (also dig your fingers through the soil to check if it feels dry).

• Storing Kūmara are fussy when it comes to storing. If you're not careful, you can lose your whole crop to mould within a couple of weeks of harvesting. Kūmara growers say newly dug tubers should be treated tenderly. Only unblemished kūmara will store well. Any impaled with a fork should be eaten quickly.

Cure the skins by carefully laying out your tubers in the sun or in a warm room indoors for a few days, then wrap tubers in newspaper and store indoors at 14-16C. The best storage area for kūmara is somewhere dark and dry. Avoid putting them in high humidity areas like kitchens or laundries.

Growers recommend storing medium size tubers as large ones contain a lot of moisture and don’t store well.

You can also freeze kūmara. Peel or scrub them well and cut into similar sized pieces. Blanch in boiling water for two minutes, then free-flow freeze. They’ll come in handy for winter soups and stews.