Roots & tubers
Sweet potato
Warm-season vines grown for edible storage roots.
Sowing & planting windows in Australia
Planting timing varies by broad Australian gardening zone. Local weather, unusual seasons and your garden’s microclimate can shift timing.
Cool
Plant slips / rooted cuttings · Not generally recommended
Temperate
Plant slips / rooted cuttings · Oct–Dec
Core months: October, November, December
Subtropical
Plant slips / rooted cuttings · Oct–Jan
Core months: January, October, November, December
Tropical
Plant slips / rooted cuttings · All year where drainage permits
Core months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Arid
Plant slips / rooted cuttings · Oct–Nov
Core months: October, November
Getting started
Plant healthy slips or rooted vine cuttings into warm soil; do not plant ordinary supermarket tubers as the routine method.
The right conditions
Full sun, loose fertile soil and a long frost-free season; drainage is essential.
As it grows
Water through establishment, then evenly without waterlogging. Lift wandering vines if they root where unwanted.
Ready to harvest
Lift when roots are well sized, before cold or prolonged wet; cure intact roots before storage.
Important cautions
Do not eat ornamental sweet-potato foliage unless the cultivar is known to be edible.
Related how-to guides
Plant sweet-potato slips
Obtain healthy named planting material and observe plant movement restrictions.
Plant guidance: Desk-reviewed under the approved horticultural-synthesis method; not field-tested. Planting windows are a guide rather than a rule.