How to grow oca in containers from tuber to harvest

[@angiejoy3802]

Absolutely brilliant, this is the guide I needed! Thank you Steve, really appreciate ya!

[@SteveRichards]

This guide is a bit more up to date steverichards.notion.site/How-to-Grow-Oca-New-Zealand-Yam-e2d30516acf84efe97be607009a7afe9?pvs=4

[@sharonscott8358]

Thank you, I found this really useful. I have bought some oca to plant this year and realised I would in fact be in New Zealand from the beginning of December until the middle of January and was wondering what I could do with them in the ground and then thought of pots and found your video. This is the way I shall grow them at my allotment and then bring them home before I go away and leave in my greenhouse covered in fleece, away from mice! until I get back. I did grow them once before but didn't get much of a harvest, possibly because I probably didn't leave them in the ground long enough after the leaves had died back - I may have even tried harvesting them earlier than that, I can't really remember now.

[@SteveRichards]

They are not the most consistent of plants to grow, some years are better than others : All the best - Steve

[@NnekaOchonogor]

Thanks for this Steve. Very much appreciated!

[@sandram1503]

Thanks Steve for the fascinating video as I knew nothing about oca. Take care

[@dn744]

They look nice

[@lynnpurfield9430]

Thank you for this Steve. I finally got around to buying oca tubers along with yacon and asparagas to give us more long term crops. I like the idea of eating them like a radish but also they may replace water chestnuts as they are getting expensive and I think they travel a long way.

[@SteveRichards]

I think Yakon is a better alternative to water chestnuts Lynn, much more productive, super healthy and great to eat : All the best - Steve

[@lynnpurfield9430]

@@SteveRichards do we need to grow yacon indoors for a good crop?

[@SteveRichards]

No, we grew one plant outside and harvested 24lb of edible tubers and 6 new roots : All the best - Steve

[@lynnpurfield9430]

@@SteveRichards Wow, that is amazing. I hope I like them. It took me ages to enjoy sweet potato and even now, I am not a big fan of parsnips. Sweet veg seem odd to my palate and I am more a lover of savoury than sweet, yet I love to find ways to exten d our harvest more easily and more perenially.

[@SteveRichards]

They are not at all like sweet veg (which I don't like) they are more like a cross between and apple/pear, but they keep their crunchiness after cooking, which is very unusual : All the best - Steve

[@markfcoble]

Thanks!

[@glenakiwibackyardgardner1193]

My yams (oca) going great at mo we very hot here for this time of year so they needing more water than usual hope to be as good as yours

[@SteveRichards]

Fingers crossed : All the best - Steve

[@bigmaude31]

Steve, I am in the US and I have been trying to get my hands on some oca since you showed them earlier in the year. I haven’t managed it yet 😔. Everyone seems to be out of stock.

[@SteveRichards]

Oh that's a shame, I wish we could ship from the UK : All the best - Steve

[@woutdejongh8923]

Here in Belgium they are out of stock everywhere till februari. Only then you can get a hold of some. Mostly online.

[@catejordan7244]

what are the sun/shade requirements? And moisture? I have been struggling to find the right spot for my pots. Not sure if I should have them in part shade or full sun

[@SteveRichards]

They do fine in full sun, you will soon notice if they need more water

[@charlesmay1810]

Hi Steve, I bought about 5 or 6 oca online early this year, they were quite small in size. I kept them in my diy polytunnel and they produced large plants as you described. They are only now starting to die back a little ( I live in SW Wales) but I can see large oca tubers pushing through the soil. The plants themselves have oca producing also from the stems or branches of the plant, would you recommend removing the tubers off the stems to promote larger tubers growing from the roots?

[@SteveRichards]

You could do, I harvested the ones off the stems and ate them : All the best - Steve

[@angieboast4501]

Where did you buy them from

[@NnekaOchonogor]

Just wondering if there’s a significant difference in taste with the different colours.

[@SteveRichards]

I will answer this at the weekend, as I will pick a red tub then. The taste evolves a little over the months of harvest, so I can't really remember from last year if it was just because I harvested the red ones later, or whether there was really a difference : All the best - Steve

[@davidscott7915]

Well you live and learn. An answer to a crossword clue that led me to your website to find out more about oca-which I was ignorant about. Thank you Google and Steve.

[@hardtobelieve4753]

so would you recommend i plant one tuber per 30litre pot? And can i just plant 1 tuber straight in a 30 litre pot? im in auckland nz

[@SteveRichards]

That’s what I do, they grow big. I normally start mine in small 4cm pots. I have a guide in my ebook

[@neilrobinson8101]

in Auckland you might be better off planting in the ground (unless you're short on space etc). They need a long growing season, which is why growers in the UK start them in a greenhouse. Here in Scotland, I'm growing in pots and I'll bring them back into the greenhouse when it starts getting cooler.

[@richardhart7652]

Were can I get some tubers to start with?

[@SteveRichards]

I send them out to members of my channel for free, otherwise you can get them from realseeds : All the best - Steve

[@MsGreenmermaid]

Was that harvest all from one plant?

[@SteveRichards]

I think so, but it was 3 years ago so I can't be completely sure, but I usually harvest one of those 2L container per plant, but not full to the top : All the best - Steve

[@darrenpalmer2562]

Hi Steve, thanks for a very helpful video. I've got a question though: is that definitely slug damage? Last year, my harvest got completely destroyed with holes that look just like those on yours, and after a google I came to the conclusion it was wire worms. To be honest, that didn't make a huge amount of sense, as I'd never seen any, and it's a well-established plot, but the shape of the holes seemed to fit. I'd rather it was slug damage, as I've a chance of controlling that with nematodes, otherwise I can't really risk any root crops in the ground at all (and I don't really have space for pots). Any thoughts?

[@SteveRichards]

Hi Darren, I do see the odd wireworm in my soil, but I don't recall seeing many in the pots. However they can be managed by the Fruit and Veg Protection nematode, which I use for carrot fly, onion fly and cabbage root fly so I will water my pots with that too. What I did notice though is that tubers were perfect in December, but much degraded by March, so this year I'm going to harvest them all in December and store them in sterile moist compost : All the best - Steve

[@darrenpalmer2562]

@@SteveRichards Interesting - I left mine in the ground a long time too, and they were much more chewed than the previous year's. I've ordered some Fruit and Veg Protection nematode, so I'll do a dose now, and another when the tubers start to form, and see how they get on.

[@ronaldandsusanshaws-growing]

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