Author Topic: Oca Ahoy!.... Thanks to Jayb (Read 16041 times)

gwynleg · « **Reply #80 on:** January 17, 2010, 11:07:28 »

Finally dug my oca up today. It was under fleece and it was clear that some creature had been digging there. The creature made itself known by coming out of a hole by my feet and running off (big rat!). It had gnawed quite a few of my oca but still managed to get half a carrier bag full. I am looking forward to tasting them.

The yield wasnt that high for 4 plants - lots of very small oca which is what happened last year (I didnt eat them just used them for regrowing). If I dont love the taste I wont bother again.....

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #81 on:** January 17, 2010, 19:32:38 »

I put 20 or so plants in, and before the snow I could see some decent-sized tubers sticking out. I'm not sure I can lift it at the moment due to my accident last week, but I'll report back as soon as I get some lifted.

lottie lou · « **Reply #82 on:** January 17, 2010, 20:22:47 »

I grew mine in buckets. The last one I tipped out was a bit disappointing as it held the least and the smallest. However that was the one I conssistantly missed watering due to all the floppy foliage hiding hit. I think I had 4 tubers in ther and 3 in each of the other 3 buckets. So I reckon they need plenty of water and feeding throughout the growing seasin - however that is only my theory. Also I bunged them in the greenhouse in about November.

Jitterbug · « **Reply #83 on:** January 19, 2010, 19:51:08 »

OOh ;D - this thread has just reminded me that I got some in one of the swaps last year and I still have them on the lottie next to the greenhouse. They came up lovely in a pot and I kept banking them up and watering. Not sure when they died off though. I clean forgot about them. :-[

I will have to bribe DH to go and tip them out. I also still need to dig up my jerusalem artichokes but fractured my ankle during the big Freeze at Centre Parcs on 6th January so there will be no digging for me in the near future.....
When DH next goes to feed and water my chickens I'll try my luck and see if he will be kind enought and take a peek.

Can't wait.

Jitterbug

realfood · « **Reply #84 on:** January 19, 2010, 19:56:35 »

I finally managed to try and harvest my Oca today, but they are all soft and frosted even though I had the container covered with double plastic. Ah well, there is always next year! Moral, lift them as soon as the foliage has died down and before hard frosts.

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #85 on:** January 21, 2010, 15:45:51 »

I managed to get to the allotment today, though I'm still not fit to dig anything up. The oca on the surface are all soft, but I had a firkle, and the tubers further down felt OK. Hopefully most of the crop is still there!

Vinlander · « **Reply #86 on:** January 21, 2010, 22:29:51 »

At the risk of sounding like a cracked record - the most effective way to keep frost out is with water.

If you put layers of water-filled bottles on the roots before you throw straw/plastic/organic rubbish on top then the result will be 10x as effective.

It's a great pity that square-section bottles are so hard to find these days - shame on Highland Spring! - but round ones work OK.

On the other hand, if keeping humidity down is an issue (applies to storing fruits more than storing roots) then some gaps between the bottles are a good thing.

Cheers.

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #87 on:** January 23, 2010, 18:38:16 »

Disappointing harvest to report I'm afraid. Dug down a spit and have little to show for it, maybe double what I planted..... not much more than that... Will go back tomorrow as I earthed up the growing plants so the deepest roots will be a bit fiurther down, plus it will let me completely weed through the bed. It will be replanted with broad beans in March and then squash/cukes/gherkins for the summer

chrisc

Ian Pearson · « **Reply #88 on:** February 01, 2010, 19:46:54 »

I have a blog solely concerning oca here:
http://oca-testbed.blogspot.com

Sounds like I've had similar experiences to some of you, and have formulated opinions on most of them - frost damage, harvest timing, maximising crop size, and avoiding varmint damage!

I'd be glad to get comments and opinions from other oca growers.

saddad · « **Reply #89 on:** February 01, 2010, 22:54:29 »

Welcome to A4A Ian... what else do you grow? :)

Ian Pearson · « **Reply #90 on:** February 02, 2010, 17:12:25 »

Thank you Saddad. I grow most of the usual vegetables (or at least those that I like the taste of), plus soft fruit, and a few nuts and top fruit, plus always trying anything new that comes along. But this is straying from the topic :-)
I'm keen to hear of folk's oca-growing methods, especially anyone getting more than about a kg of crop per plant, or anyone getting consistently good sized tubers. Can anyone beat this 111mm tuber? - my best so far:
http://oca-testbed.blogspot.com/2010/01/oca-weights-measures-for-oca-anoraks.html

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #91 on:** February 02, 2010, 17:41:40 »

I fleeced mine. It was obviously quite inadequate as protection this year, but it's all I plan on doing as it would be enough in most years. I haven't lifted any yet due to rock-hard soil and then an accident. I'm planning to get some up tomorrow, weather permitting.

mat · « **Reply #92 on:** February 02, 2010, 18:06:18 »

yes, I went into hosp in nov/dec... then the winter weather arrived... and my 3 potato bags of oca which were doing brilliantly (when i took a peek) are probably all a mush after all the nights of -13 degrees :'( I will check this weekend when i pluck up the courage to look... shame as I had a container each of reds, pinks and creams...

gwynleg · « **Reply #93 on:** February 02, 2010, 19:27:01 »

3 potato bags!!!!! How many did you plant? I planted about 8, earthed up, put fleece on them (which did its job in protecting from frost) but got 1/4 to 1/2 carrier bag full - not that many large ones either. How do people rate the taste (we havent tried yet!)

Ian Pearson · « **Reply #94 on:** February 03, 2010, 11:13:42 »

It has been an unusually cold winter, and we've all learned about one of the downsides to growing oca in containers, growbags, on ridges, or even to a certain extent, in raised beds - the growing medium cools more quickly, and so the crop is more vulnerable to frost damage. But one freak winter should not put us off.
Gwynleg, do not be downhearted with a small crop. Maybe your expectations are high because you are treating it as a monocrop. Try bicropping, then the crop is practically a bonus when considered on a per-square-meter basis. It works well with indeterminate tomatoes on 4ft beds. (see http://oca-testbed.blogspot.com/2009/11/2009-growing-season.html)

And the tiddlers taste good fried whole, then lightly sprinkled with cheese. :-)

mat · « **Reply #95 on:** February 05, 2010, 15:41:57 »

Quote from: gwynleg on February 02, 2010, 19:27:01

3 potato bags!!!!! How many did you plant?

Just been up and plucked up the courage to take a look... tops of the potato bags were still fozen to a hard solid mass... some of the oca is soft and fit for compost, but amazingly, some are still hard (so I assume okay to eat!) seems the red ones were the most hardy (whites were mostly soft)

I actually found I'd planted up 4 potato bags. Cannot remember how many I put in each bag, I think 4-5. and each bag is now full of oca Today is still too cold and wet, but tomorrow is forecast to be sunny, so I'll sort them all out tomorrow and see what I have left. Loads to replant anyway (phew!)

mat

lottiedolly · « **Reply #96 on:** February 05, 2010, 16:08:24 »

Ian, i enjoyed reading your blog and it was very informative about oca, gave me some ideas and i appreciated the pictures as i did not really have an idea about the height and spread of the plant

;D

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #97 on:** February 05, 2010, 17:30:50 »

How did your red oca yield? So far I've lifted the crop from two plants, one red and one white. The red was undamaged by frost, the white had soft tubers on the surface, but everything underground was OK. Yield from the white one was OK, but I got very little from the red. I don't know whether that was a fair sample or not.

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #98 on:** February 05, 2010, 23:00:39 »

I've done a quick blog post with a pic of the oca. http://thisandthat-robert.blogspot.com/

Ian Pearson · « **Reply #99 on:** February 06, 2010, 08:30:11 »

Robert, having looked at the photo, I'm surprised by the big difference in yield between red and white. Could there be any other factors that would have made a difference, such as different amounts of water, light, soil etc?

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Author Topic: Oca Ahoy!.... Thanks to Jayb (Read 16041 times)