Kumara like potatoes tuber bulk later in the growing season and harvesting too early will incur a lower yield.

I wait for the first frost, shortly after that the vines decay and I cut them back leaving only a short stem.

This stem is used to locate the potential reward, and reduces  digging effort. Be very careful not the damage Kumara, using hand digging is best.

Our sheep and pigs get the vines, so nothing is wasted. The first year I took cuttings and looked after the pots inside under grow lights. Its a huge effort for not alot of reward. I did it to try and conserve growing stock for the next season.

Maintaining  good organic matter in the soil and moist control allows much easier harvesting.

Dry soil with low organic matter is much harder and breakage of Kumara tubers occurs.

The outer skin of the Kumara (Purple colour) is very fragile and if broken reduces storage life.