Sweet Potato ‘Purple Raven’

Purple Raven' is a hardy, attractive, colourful plant with vibrant, deep purple, lobed leaves, it is very useful as a groundcover. It grows 20-30 cm high with dense coverage over the ground. It is not an aggressive runner like the cropping sweet potatoes generally are. It is not generally grown for the tubers, the tubers in the photo are about 10-12months of growth. Generally the tubers will only be the thickness of a finger if harvested at the same time as a commercial variety like Beauregard. Its main usefulness is as a groundcover and for its edible leaves and flowers. It can be grown in containers and hanging baskets and will tolerate partial shade. The leaves are a source of purple pigments, called anthocyanins.

How to Grow Sweet Potato Cuttings:

Propagation:

The most successful way we have found to strike fresh Sweet Potato cuttings is to use a “Wicking Bed” type method. We usually do this by potting the cuttings up in a well-draining mix, and then placing the pots into a shallow tray of water. After 2 weeks they should have developed a strong root system, and fresh leaves. Once you can see this fresh growth they are ready to plant out.

Alternatively, you can plant the cuttings straight into the ground. If doing this you will need to keep them moist for the first 2 weeks while the cuttings develop roots. We recommend watering at least once per day during this period.

When planting your cuttings out we recommend a spacing of 40-60cm between plants. As sweet potato grow horizontally along the ground this ensures they are not growing over each other too much and competing for light.

Watering and Fertilising:

Once the plants are established we recommend watering 1 – 2 times per week. Fertilising can be done but try to avoid any fertiliser with too much nitrogen as this can cause the plants to focus on vegetative (leaf) growth, rather than focusing on growing tubers. Adding organic compost would be a great way of doing this.

Harvesting:

Sweet Potato generally take around 16 to 18 weeks to mature. Maturing can take longer with colder temperatures, so keep this in mind if you are in a colder state, or growing in a colder time of the year. Maturation time also depends on variety. For example, Beauregard is a more standard commercial variety and matures fast, whereas Purple Raven takes quite a bit longer to develop decent sized tubers.

Storage:

It is best to clean the tubers by washing them, or brushing the soil off. This will reduce the risk of them rotting due to too much moisture. It is also helpful to wrap them in paper to protect them from fungus and insects. If kept in a cool, dry place they can be stored for up to 5 months.