Oca - I'll Never Grow It Again

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

If you've enjoyed this video please hit the SUBSCRIBE BUTTON, it's FREE and costs you nothing. Also press the BELL ICON to be notified when each new video is uploaded. Welcome to both old an new subscribers…. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment - Cheers Adam (Allotment Grow How)

[@nikkibhashkar6327]

Hey there, I think you harvested them too soon. I don't harvest until the leaves have died back, and yours still looked pretty vibrant. They take about 4-5 months I think. Plus the flavour is better with more time in the ground. They get sweeter and have a great texture.

[@Stuffnz69]

Yep harvested waaay too early. Need to wait until foliage is completely dead and then wait till they've had 1 frost. Tubers don't develop until foliage is dead. Frost makes them sweeter

[@DaisyDebs]

They must take ages to scrub clean is what I,m thinking . Did you cook and eat them ? Were they nice ?

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

They cleaned up pretty easily, they were roasted and tasted pretty unremarkable - a slight nutty taste

[@gaynorbailey4331]

Hi oca is a very long season veg. They end to be harvested about 3 weeks after a hard frost. Tey are better grown in the ground

[@HIghElevationGardening]

As others have said, you harvested way too soon. I leave mine until 6-8 weeks after the foliage has completely died back. They are seldom bothered by the pests similar to those which attack potatoes, so you can literally store Oca in the ground, just don't dig it up until you need some, thus extending the season greatly. Of course my only experience is here in the Andes. I don't think those small pots will ever allow the tubers to develop, they spread out near the surface, thus having no where to grow in those small pots. I have a video on my channel about andean tubers, you can see how close to the surface they grow. Also you may have used too much N.

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Hi, thanks for the tips. As others said I harvested them too early... but honestly I haven't bothered to go back to them. I'm gonna stick with what I know 👍👍

[@bungalobill7941]

It takes a full season and you have to wait until the plant is completely dead from frost.

[@BrentPilgrim-s4d]

Why are you digging them they Are not really go

[@Canna1d]

I was told the tubers don't grow until the foliage has died back.

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

I probably should have left them longer then

[@Canna1d]

@@AllotmentGrowHow There's always another year. I'm trying them myself for the first time this year. We live and learn :)

[@Selfsufficientme]

At least you tried it Adam👍

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Thanks Mark, something was better than nothing, but I wont try them again mate. Cheers Adam

[@Gardeningoncursedground]

i grow them every year some years are better than others. i dug up half a carrier bag of them on sunday. they are so tasty sauted. surprisingly i had best results in clay soil. noticed same thing with mashua

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Hi Andrew, it was my first time growing and tasting them... I'm not gonna bother again, I'm glad I gave em a go - but never again.

[@isabelrankin6721]

Very little growth on oca until the final weeks. Let the plants die completely. Early October, bank up the plants like you would potatoes. Keep the best oca for next year and try again. Mine where rubbish the first year, pretty good last year and the two plants I have harvested so far this year, the yield is very good.

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Hi Isabel, thanks for the advice... I wish I'd waited for the plants to die back but it's too late now. I don't think I'll try them again - but I'm glad I gave them a go

[@joanflemmingkendrick1107]

You harvested far too soon. You must be patient.

[@HIghElevationGardening]

It took me awhile to learn that. Just wait to harvest them all, or sneak a few off to see the progress instead of destroying the whole plant to find out how they are doing.

[@BrentPilgrim-s4d]

They are not ready to dig , wait until the tops die off totally there should be no top left before digging

[@MistyMarie1970]

Sadly Yams as we call them need space to grow, i would expect you will see more come up in the garden. I bordered off a space in my garden which i grew oca/yams in same spot every year, they keep reproducing from the small ones left behind. To get good size ones the soil needs to be softish so they can spread out. One of my favourite veggies. I do hope you will give them another chance.

[@someroob7915]

“Empty this big pot”? Big?!!? What on Earth made you think you could grow tubers in less than 7 cubic inches? Oca grows fine in appropriate sized pots.

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Thanks for the advice two years later. I'd never grown Oca before so I didn't know the rules, next time I'll consult you and the size of the pots I need as you seem to know it all.

[@someroob7915]

@@AllotmentGrowHow 😁 right on😉

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

@@someroob7915 Now get and subscribe to the channel 👍👍

[@timeaton5710]

they need to grown in the ground ! also don't dig them up until after christmas

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Thanks for the advice, they've all been dug up now though, if I try them again I'll remember that

[@tlc5503]

What a shame: they taste delicious! I'm sorry to watch your experience wasn't good. As others have said, you have picked too early. In my experience (only 5 yrs) the oca need to be treated a bit like "no dig potatoes" (just keep adding compost to earth them up) and bulbs (the growth of the tuber is very much depent on the growth above and you had wonderful growth above!) You can extend the growth above by using horticultiral fleece. As the upper growth dies down ( after the the first hard frost) , it will feed the baby tubers below: it will take 2 to 3 wks. There is a limited window on how viable the sed oca would be with prolonged frost but I'm finding plants growing everywhere we have been (Keep missing tiny bulbs! In Kent). Love watching your videos because they're real! xxx

[@Mrsnufleupagus]

I tried them 4-5 years ago and got not a single one. You did better than I buddy:))

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Dude, I wouldn't bother trying them again - I've had em once now and that'll do :-)

[@robertbray3685]

Hi Adam, I am not familiar with this vegetable but it's always good to try something new. Looks like some of your subscribers have had success with them so why not try again next year on the plot. Maybe they prefer ordinary garden soil rather than a peat based compost.

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Hi Robert, I don't think I'll be trying them again. I'm happy that I did because it's made me realise that they weren't worth it for me, but it's always good to try something new each year. Cheers Adam

[@gaynorbailey4331]

They don't start making tubers until late September I find it ettet to Jill up like spuds

[@monazirngibl9803]

What were you doing harvesting them so soon?? Plus the pots were tiny

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Never grown them before, so I didn't know when to harvest them!!!!

[@paulosullivan3472]

I am trying them for the first time this year. My investigations so far suggest that while you dont hill them up like potatoes you should add about 1-2 inch of soil once the plant is large enough as most of the tubers will grow near the surface adn that encourages more tuber growth. No idea if it works though like I say this year is my first try

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

I'm sure they will work out well for you Pat. I think I was probably to harsh on my assessment of these. I thought there would be more and that they would be bigger. Good luck with them :-)

[@tlc5503]

You don't earth them up! You add compost around them, allow for side spread (like no dig potatoes). But if your bed has been no dig/no till for a while, just enjoy!

[@leahhoward1212]

And how did you prepare it? What did it taste like?

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

I roasted them for about 30mins in butter and that was it. They were just ok... they had a slight nutty taste but nothing remarkable - I tried one raw and its a completely different experience. A citrus taste

[@stuartmcgoverne2788]

2 to 3 years behind is the closest independent.

[@MrDennisdavey]

got loads of sun chokes and i mean loads . very similar looking tubers

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

I am obviously rubbish at growing them

[@TinelleReay-cm4ou]

I think you harvested early they form their bulbs in the last couple of months.. also you could bank them like potatoes as they grow off the stem as well.

[@johnwoodley7913]

Lovely tasting veg. Nice air fried or raw in salads. Despite supposedly not being winter hardy always have a few volunteers in the spring.

[@susiea1419]

I grew them this year but really poor harvest! Tons of leaves. I let them die back and harvested after a frost.

[@snowdropsurprise8454]

Thanks for sharing your attempts!

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Thanks for watching

[@beetroot5217]

One more time!

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Never again

[@85jacob85]

Pretty tiny pots you got there.

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Thanks

[@gretasgarden]

Interesting, Wirth a try again though I'd say. Pots never do well for me. But what do you think of the taste?

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Hi Greta, the taste was just ok... nothing to really shout about. I reckon I'm done with them - but they were worth a try :-)

[@Annaohiousa]

I’m the same. Thank you for share my dear. Have a great day. Your garden very nice 💗💗💗💗

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Thanks for visiting

[@NickSBailey]

I had a better crop when I left them in longer so they died down completely, maybe they continue to swell as they absorb nutrients and moisture back from the fleshy leaves and stems, not sure. I've not grown them for a few years. I used to use the leaves like sorrel as well.

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Hi Nicholas, this was my first time and last time growing them. I probably did pull the plants too soon but even the ones I did harvest and ate - they didn't convince me that I want to try them again.

[@colonelfustercluck486]

Let your plants go for longer.... until they have died off on top. You may need a little more room, but letting them go until the tops die would be my main hint. They are very easy to grow and are a weed in the garden. In our area we grow them in a large container or an old tyre to help keep them contained. Every little Oca left in the ground becomes another plant next year. SO they are hard to get rid of, if you put them in your main garden. My expectations would be between 10 and 40 (size dependent) per 'seed' oca. For seed I use the largest oca that I can find, and I get them from the supermarket where they are commonly sold in the vege aisle in NZ. I just leave them in a room (unplanted) until I can see sprouts forming.... then plant them. They are delicious roasted along with meat (particularly lamb), boiled, microwaved. A small one would be about 1 inch, a decent / large one would be 4 inches in length. You may have had 'dud' seed oca.... that's why I plant big ones.

[@wkartchner]

Wait until two weeks after the top is completely dead or you will get nothing

[@jamesdove9456]

💪

[@keithhilton8869]

Hi Adam, thanks for the tip. I think I'll give them a miss too. That handful of offering looks like something I had to show the doctor last week. 🤣🤣 Cheers mate.

[@AllotmentGrowHow]

Ha ha ha... penicillin will sort that out mate :-)

[@whatisgoingonineedtoknow.]

Hi, I've grown these this year first time in pots and even after the frost, you have to be patience and wait until the plant has died off, so that the tuber can suck all the nutrients from the plump stem. In the end I havested them beginning of February. Key point wait until the stems has dried up and wilted. Btw you can eat the leaves too in salad, it has a lemony tangy taste.