Sweet potatoes have become a pantry staple in many households and also make a recurring appearance on Babel’s winter menu. Read on to discover how we grow and harvest our sweet potatoes before they’re transformed into delectable meals.

The thin stemcuttings we planted in the sweltering heat of summer did not seem very impressive, but with regular watering, they quickly flourished into lush mounds of foliage. The lovely white & mauve flowers appeared late summer as the plants matured, hiding shyly underneath the leaves.


About a month before harvest, we cut the leaves to encourage the roots to mature. To discourage mice from feeding on the tubers, we covered the beds with a thick layer of mulch made from roughly shredded vines – it worked well. The mice went hungry, and our sweet potatoes grew nicely!

After five months in the ground, we eventually lifted the plants with great expectation and care, making sure that the moist, thin skins on the tubers were not damaged, as this helps prevent them from rotting in storage.

We harvested 4 colours – white, purple, orange and yellow. The orange variety is the old fashion sweet potato known as borrie patat, while the white variety has an interesting long shape, and is more of a collector’s item for speciality chefs.

The tubers are dried for two weeks as we wait for the roots to sweeten, before we send them to Babel restaurant where our chefs will work their magic with this exceptionally nutritious vegetable.