{"product_id":"sweet-potato-northern-star-tubers","title":"Sweet Potato - Northern Star Tubers","description":"\u003ch3\u003eSweet Potato - Northern Star Tubers\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIpomoea batatas\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eFoundation seed tubers for sprouting your own slips. White flesh, red skin. (NOT to WA, TAS)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical name\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIpomoea batatas\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eType\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWhite flesh, red to purple skin, firm and dry-textured with a mild, sweet, nutty flavour\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlanting stock\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFirst generation foundation seed, Australian grown, supplied clean with no post-harvest treatments\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePack sizes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2, 4 or 10 tubers, each about 240 g as a guide\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSlips per tuber\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUsually 8 to 10 over a few weeks, more from a large tuber\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlanting slips\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e7 to 10 cm deep, laid at a slant, after the last frost\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e30 to 40 cm apart, 75 cm to 1 m between rows\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTime to harvest\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eThe earliest of our three varieties in trials, often about four months in a warm season and longer in cool areas\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCannot be sent to WA or TAS\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"color:#d0021b;\"\u003eImportant:\u003c\/strong\u003e These are live planting tubers sold for propagation, not dry seed and not eating potatoes. You sprout shoots (slips) from the tuber and plant the slips. Tubers may arrive dormant or with small shoots already showing, and our grower notes that some of this season's tubers carry a light bronze tint on the skin from winter growing in cold ground, which is cosmetic. Please \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.happyvalleyseeds.com.au\/blogs\/propagation\/how-to-grow-sweet-potato-slips\" title=\"How to sprout sweet potato slips from a tuber\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread our guide to sprouting sweet potato slips\u003c\/a\u003e before ordering, especially if you live in a cooler region and need to hold tubers for a few weeks before starting them. The photos show the actual tubers from this season's stock, brushed rather than washed, which is how they are sent. Tuber weights are a guide only: this is a natural product and individual tubers vary above and below that figure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNorthern Star is the red-skinned, white-fleshed sweet potato sold beside the orange ones in a good greengrocer, and the leading red variety in Australia. It came to Australia from Papua New Guinea and was selected for Australian growers by Queensland Department of Primary Industries researchers in the 1990s. The flesh is firm, drier than the orange types and mildly sweet, closer to a floury potato than to pumpkin, which makes it the best of the three for crisp wedges, chips and baking whole. In the garden it is a heavy cropper and matured earliest in the Queensland trials, so it is the variety to choose for a cooler district or a shorter season. A double skin reduces scuffing at harvest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAll three varieties are in our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.happyvalleyseeds.com.au\/collections\/sweet-potato-tubers\"\u003esweet potato tuber collection\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eHow it works: from tuber to slips\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSit the tuber half-buried in a tray of moist potting mix, or suspend it over a jar of water with toothpicks, and keep it warm and bright. Shoots appear in two to four weeks. Cut them off at 15 to 20 cm, stand them in water until roots form, then plant them out. A tuber kept warm will keep producing slips for several weeks, so two tubers are enough for a family bed and four will plant a larger patch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlanting\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChoose the sunniest, best drained bed you have and loosen the soil deeply. Sweet potatoes prefer a loose sandy loam with some compost; on heavy clay, plant into a raised mound or ridge. Go easy on nitrogen, because rich feeding gives vines at the expense of tubers. Plant rooted slips 30 to 40 cm apart with 75 cm to 1 m between rows, laid at a slant with two thirds of the stem buried, and water daily for the first week. Keep the watering even through the season, because Northern Star can go bumpy or ribbed when growing conditions turn difficult, and a bed that dries out and is then soaked is the usual cause in a home garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCool and alpine regions (TAS highlands, VIC highlands, NSW tablelands):\u003c\/strong\u003e the best of the three varieties for a short season. Plant well rooted slips in November into the warmest, most sheltered bed, about four weeks after the last frost. Start tubers sprouting in September.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTemperate regions (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide):\u003c\/strong\u003e October to December, after the last frost, once the soil is warm. Start tubers sprouting in late August or September.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubtropical regions (Brisbane, coastal NSW):\u003c\/strong\u003e September to December, with a second planting possible in December or January on the coast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTropical and arid regions (far north QLD, NT, inland areas):\u003c\/strong\u003e Tropical gardens can plant most of the year; the usual practice is to plant as the wet season begins and lift in April or May, on mounds so the tubers do not sit in saturated ground. Arid gardens plant October to November with deep mulch and steady water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eCare\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWater deeply about once a week in dry weather and keep the bed mulched. Lift the runners off the soil every few weeks so they do not root along their length, which spreads the plant's energy into many tiny tubers. The young shoot tips can be picked for the kitchen and cooked like spinach. A light picking costs the crop very little, though stripping the vines hard will cut the tuber yield.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eHarvesting and storage\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLift from about four months after planting in a warm season, and up to five in a cool one, when the leaves begin to yellow and always before the first frost. Fork gently from the edge of the bed, brush off the soil rather than washing, then cure the tubers for one to two weeks somewhere warm, humid and airy. Cured tubers store for several months in a cool, dark cupboard with some airflow, never in the fridge. Keep a few of the best to sprout next spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this the white one or the orange one?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhite flesh with red to purple skin. It roasts fluffy and crisp, more like a floury potato than the moist orange types. For orange flesh choose Beauregard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow many plants will I get from one tuber?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsually eight to ten slips over a few weeks if the tuber is kept warm and moist, and each slip grows into a plant that can set several good sized tubers plus smaller ones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAre these pathogen tested or certified?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey are first generation foundation seed tubers from an Australian specialist sweet potato seed grower, supplied clean with no post-harvest treatments. They are not sold under a certification scheme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy are some tubers bumpy or ribbed?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNorthern Star can go bumpy or ribbed in difficult growing conditions. It is cosmetic and does not affect sprouting or the crop the tuber will produce. Even watering in your own bed keeps the harvest smooth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan you ship sweet potato tubers to WA or TAS?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo. Due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send sweet potato tubers to Western Australia or Tasmania. If you are unsure whether your address is affected, please contact us before ordering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhich variety is best for a cold area?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNorthern Star, because it finishes earliest, with Beauregard as the second choice. Eclipse has been trialled mainly in warm districts, so it has the weakest record in a short, cool season.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Happy Valley Seeds","offers":[{"title":"2 Tubers","offer_id":52942755496248,"sku":"EDP-58_2T","price":14.29,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"4 Tubers","offer_id":52942755529016,"sku":"EDP-58_4T","price":26.39,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10 Tubers","offer_id":52942755561784,"sku":"EDP-58_10T","price":54.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0268\/5416\/2522\/files\/sweet-potato-northern-star-tubers-8358462.jpg?v=1789224256","url":"https:\/\/www.happyvalleyseeds.com.au\/products\/sweet-potato-northern-star-tubers","provider":"Happy Valley Seeds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}