Harvesting and Growing Oca - New Zealand Yam

Today we are harvesting a new vegetable we have grown to see how well it did as well as showing you how we grew them. Something different and fun. If you are interested in the Unusual Vegetable book you can take a look here: amzn.to/1JXKSh1
Take a look at my Facebook page: / huwsgardennursery

[@Selfsufficientme]

I haven't grown them myself but I'm looking forward to trying them now that I've seen the size of those you harvested. Great video, cheers :)

[@Dinckelburg]

Hey Mark!

[@sasquatchdonut2674]

The king has made a surprise appearance

[@Abby-tc6dk]

Hi from NZ, I love yams! never knew the were called Oca. I always look forward to having roasted lamb with roasted yams in the winter

[@lisarussell6153]

I saw oca on another video and bought tubers on Etsy. I have 3 of the pink/orange ones. Thanks for explaining to wait - I didn’t know when to harvest. They’re growing well - glad to know I’ll have fresh food in the winter. I’m in NW Alabama.

[@stonehartfloydfan]

Grow them just the same as you do potatoes in bags, Two or three per bag will yield a good crop. Oca prefers well drained soil, prep your soil much the same as potatoes and apply a mulch of well-rotted compost or grass cuttings around the plant during summer as this will keep the soil moist... finally plant in early or mid-September in Southern New Zealand (water well to spur tuber sprot). When to harvest? well after a couple of good hard frosts and let the foliage die right back (tend to harvest mine in late June or early July depending on frost)... oh and final note, the essential point to remember is that the tubers form and swell as autumn develops and when day length shortens, temperatures fall etc, so if you try and pull them before that there will be no Oca to harvest.

[@davidthegood]

Beautiful - great work. I haven't tried oca yet but it's on my list. Thank you for the harvest report.

[@pamholloway5962]

great little video. I grow these because I am allergic to potatoes. I leave them in the ground till I want to eat them, taking one plant out at a time. they seem happy in the ground, even though our soil is heavy clay, and the Derbyshire winter can be chilly. I do a few plants in big pots for emergency use if there is a lot of snow or the ground freezes. when I dig more than I can eat quickly, I parboil them and freeze for later, though they are really only good for mash afterwards (bubble and squeak!). a lot of those which don't get dug up come back next year, even save the planting!

[@qualqui]

Oca - New Zealand Yam, originated in the Andes, in Peru and Bolivia, I think I finally found the mystery veggie I came upon in Toluca, Estado de Mexico and now I see why it thrives in cold places, Mexico State is very high altitude and colder than other parts of the country, in Toluca they're called 'papas del campo' translated: field potatoes, lol....hehehehe....no originality here with names. Thanks for sharing this COOL Video Huw Richards, thumbs up and greetings from Mexico. :)

[@davegaskell7680]

I grew Oca for the first time this season. I put 3 tubers into each of four 30 litre pots. I harvested the first pot today (30th November) following the snowy couple of days that we've had here in the north of the England which had knocked the foliage right back. Got a got harvest but quite a lot (around 40%) had some pest damage - looked mostly like slugs eating the tubers. So, quite happy in terms of the yield but very definitely not pest free.

[@quittrynabemeyouredoingaba6852]

Wow!!! That's a epic harvest!! Looks like a clay/sandy loam. I had straight compost and didnt get as much of a harvest. It could be I dug them up too early. Will follow how you done it 😊😊

[@MarinaWilson1958]

Cheers Huw, as always great video. Great looking veg and I've never tried eating it, I will this year. Thanks

[@elizabethcleland6267]

new to internet just found you am in highlands scotland liked video wish could find more for our climate am going SS by next summer never seen thoseor tasted but look good seem easy

[@miriiba5740]

Thank you for mentioned Bolivia, some people mention only Perú, in Bolivia,we have 3 colors and they are delicious:)

[@freckles2437]

How do you like to cook them, I am growing them for the first time this year in the UK, thank you, Jo 😀

[@carrotsandcosmosjandg]

I have looked at these and have been tempted to grow some. I wasn't organised this year but I would love to try them maybe next year. Thanks for the really helpful video Huw and Huw's dad :) Jazz.

[@tanyabrown9839]

that looked like a great harvest. I recently brought some of these to plant (I'm in Australia) and have planted most and now waiting for them to grow. Id been a little concerned I may of planted them too deep or done the wrong thing by planting them straight out into the garden but are now reassured all is fine after watching this video. I cant wait to taste what these are like, everyone Ive spoken to have said they are great snacks.

[@許洪敏]

Tanya Brown 这是什么？

[@melovescoffee]

Well, i guess now i know what went wrong with mine. Dug them up too early, much too small and just though, ok, not worth growing again, put the handfull i got into a salad and didn't look at them again. Hope there is a tuber in the ground that i missed because i got rid of the plants. I'll try again. Saw Tony's bed too and slapped myself on the forehead. Sometimes i'm just too impatient. You guys are really a big help to me. Thanks!

[@GardensforLife]

Great video! We've been growing Oca and lots of other unusual tubes for some years now. Very productive, great flavor and even nice looking plants during the growing season. :D

[@kiwibob223]

Open plastic tube about 1m high . Big increase in growth of foliage . Thin it after 4 month. Your welcome from NZ

[@cygnusrays]

Oca (we pronounce it Oh ka) was thing one thing in the fruit & veg shop I choose to steal as a 2 yo - from my stroller,. Could have reached yummy fruit or even a carrot, but raw 'yams' was my favourite. I prefer them roasted now..Trying to grow them in hot dry Australia.. wish me luck.

[@MiguelADuch]

Nice video Huw! I love your videos

[@TheVision4Him]

Thanks for the information. I live in Northern USA and would like to know how long from planting to Harvest please. I want to know how long I will have to keep them indoors. Thanks

[@peteacher52]

They can be up to $NZ10 per Kg - I had no idea that they were so easy to grow! Maybe a nice little "add colour" to a roadside stall. Cheers, Col, Bay of Islands.

[@Sqmsh_Patricia]

I've got some of these growing in my garden. We had one minor frost a couple of weeks ago but, other than that, for the last month we've had a lot of rain and there's lots more in the forecast. Are they likely to rot in the ground? Should I try covering them until the rain stops? Thanks for your help.

[@HuwRichards]

+Patricia Carlin No we have some of the wettest weather possible and we haven't had problems with rot so just leave them until harvesting and no need to cover :) Thank you for watching!

[@mundomagico7787]

I've just potted my tubers up on the window sill - could I put them straight into a potato bag outside do you think? Or is it to risky frost wise? I was given some tubers last November and had a taste of them raw - amazingly zesty and savoury, much more flavour than a potato IMO.

[@ShireWitch]

Bev Mundy mine are outside all year round.

[@mariamoni-rawlinson7264]

When is harvest time Mine have tsken over my garden,chokingthe flowers😮

[@FlyingBalcony]

I'm surprised this didn't catch on and were widely used. They are much more interesting and aesthetically pleasing compared to potatoes.

[@Calchick7]

What is flavor difference between the colors

[@davecrookham2903]

How many to plant in a large pot or how would you plant them in a row and how deep cheers

[@juliasmith6726]

How do you know when to dig up yams

[@Michael_McMillan]

Nice! How do they taste?

[@mrsANGRYh]

Michael McMillan deliciously sweet

[@chel-lalasveganmania]

Looks great.

[@SonniesGardenPA]

Nice harvest, do the red taste different from the white ones?? Im going to look for that book. Thanks!

[@TheOldLookOutLodge]

I did not know that, cool, liked and subbed!

[@missclare9705]

💜

[@brockoneexcavatingtheallot1892]

I plant the smallest tubers I can find. Big tuber doesn't mean bigger harvest with oca. I wouldn't recommend harvesting before mid December in the UK. I seen a lot of people fail over the last few year for digging then up because the top had died. From my own observation of growing them the little oca tubers will mature in the ground without any top foliage. You don't great though top job 👍

[@許洪敏]

这是什么？

[@lukejones1244]

Hello, which colour has the strongest lemon flavour?

[@juliasmith6726]

When to dig up yams

[@davecrookham2903]

I am growing OCA this year bot I forgot about them when I opened the box there mass of chited oca With 2.3.4 inch long chited on them any advice

[@HuwRichards]

They'll be fine just to plant right away. Best of luck with them Dave!

[@許洪敏]

Dave Crookham 这是什么啊？

[@leslierichards2118]

Hello. I just tried to go to your website local food initiative and I get "page not found". I'm in the United States, does that matter? Otherwise, I love your videos! Thanks for your time!

[@tanyabrown9839]

How long do these plants take to show themselves once planted? (if planting at right time of year?)

[@許洪敏]

这是什么？

[@lyndawilliams8434]

I live in wales, where can I get these?

[@miriiba5740]

how to keep and store oca seed? thx

[@davecrookham2903]

Ps great videos

[@janiceb4679]

Fantastic!

[@tAutAuAbha]

Thanks brother! Very helpful ^_^

[@huynhnhi867]

Hi are sale it please thank you

[@julionavarro3334]

This Oca is from Peru,

[@MrPilcher01]

Kiwis love them, but they're not popular but expensive when can buy them.

[@raymondwhiu99]

Gordon Pilcher as a kiwi we love kumara/sweet potatoes not yums...

[@MrPilcher01]

I'm a Kiwi and my family hate Kumara, we ate yams and spuds Kumara are foul call them by the name folks around the world know sweet potato, not al Kiwis live I the kaipara harbour man, you can have your sweet potato I'll have yams any day

[@Playboysmurf1]

Gordon Pilcher As a Kiwi i also love yams but the price is nuts. Potatoes are good . Butternut pumpkins are good The orange Kumara are okay but the red or yellow ones are kinda nasty.

[@Misssssysparkles]

I bought some put them in the pot and cooked them with my corn must have been in tooo long they had disintegrated lol lol

[@alexc1105]

....That's not Huw! Huw are Yew?

[@nidiatorres2201]

you Ocas don't speak Quechua such a shame!!!

[@kaxiaz]

Anyone wants to exchange?

[@julionavarro3334]

Oca from South America , never from Europe,please.

[@joshmann7587]

should try actually listening mate

[@Playboysmurf1]

NZ yams are really tasty.

[@Misssssysparkles]

Can i buy thrm in australia to plant or to eat