Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Robert_Brenchley on April 07, 2009, 15:25:30
-
I've just acquired tubers from two swops in a single week. Obviously, I'm doomed to grow the stuff! I'm starting them in pots, and I assume that once we're past the late frosts I just plant them out and forget about them till December. Am I on the right lines?
-
After two seasons of experimenting with oca my advice is to plant the tubers straight out into the soil. The tubers can withstand quite hard and prolonged frost (safe to about -5 prolonged). I am now growing mine on top of ridges as I found that the one row I did this way last year produced the best results and was easiest to harvest.
Make the ridge first then dib the tubers in about 2" deep. I'll try to get a picture for this evening but I've already got them well covered on my website.
-
Thanks. I don't have anywhere to put them yet, but I should have by the time they emerge.
-
I grew oca last year for the first time. The crop was poor (in Yorkshire) However they were grown in the shade of some runner beans which I think is where I might have gone wrong.
I am having another go this year, so I think I will try growing them on ridges, well away from the runner beans. However I have started them off in pots already and will then move them to the garden once established.
-
Photos as promised.
(http://downtheplot.com/images/oca_ridges.jpg)
Two ridges at the right-hand side have red oca, the three under the netting have orange ones. four small ridges in front of the netting are Desiree spuds.
Picture below shows the emerging shoots.
(http://downtheplot.com/images/emerging_oca_shoots.jpg)
-
Where have they gone??? They were there yesterday....
-
What's up saddad, cooked your seed stock by mistake?
cjb02. Did you leave the plants in the ground long enough? They must have at least a couple of weeks after the frosts have completely killed the foliage to make sure the tubers form.
-
No my comp wasn't showing the pictures.... it is now :-\
-
I think so. I left them in till mid December and it was very muddy, wet and cold and the oca plant was very very dead when I dug them up. just a poor harvest I think. I have took the largest and planted those this year. although Realseeds stated when I got the seeds from them that it didnt matter if you planted the largest or smallest, the harvest would still be the same.
watch this space as they say
-
What's oca? ???
-
For those who do not know, oca is one of the new kids on the block.
(http://downtheplot.com/images/oca_hill_crop.jpg)
I left them in till mid December and it was very muddy, wet and cold
This is the primary reason I am growing them on top of ridges now. All I will need to do is get angry with the scuffle to break the hill then quickly pick the tubers up before my paws freeze.
For more info and lots of photos see my website here. Oca (http://downtheplot.com/oca.php)
-
So what do they taste like?
-
Oca.
-
ok silly question but i've never heard of it before!
-
They're meant to taste like lemony new potatoes - seeing this thread reminded me I havent tried any of the crop from last year. Hadnt grown them before and I only had v small crop so might try again this year
-
The information on Eristic's website is excellent. I also found the following link quite useful - it includes some comments on the taste, including the effect that cooking has on taste:
http://www.ocatuber.co.uk/
I'm growing mine along the edge of my potato bed. Planted them straight into the ground on 19 March.
-
They sound great but how do i get some?
-
I and others got some through a seed swap. You can usually get them from the real seed catalogue - link below - but I see they've sold out. Sorry!
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/unusualtubers.html
-
I have got some oca you can have twoflower (they are starting to sprout but should be ok) - do you want to pm me with your address?
-
Eristic, been reading on your site about the 1.5 metre ridge approach.
Do you mean that's the overall width but a narrower apex you plant one row into (9 inch spacing) OR is it a flat topped ridge that you plant more than one row into, again 9 inch spacing?
I like the idea of avoiding heavy digging in freezing conditions.
Also, on another site it says pefers semil shade...are yours all in direct sun?
-
If you scroll up to my posting of 7th Apr there is a picture of this years setup. I would regard the aspect as sunny even though it looks shady. when the photo was taken the sun had a low elevation and was shining through a nearby hawthorn tree creating early evening shade. The ridges are about 1.5 metre apart not that much wide and I planted a double staggered row along the top.
It's still an experimental crop and variations have to be tried until the best results are obtained. My focus now is to maximise the yield per sq. metre rather than try to maximise the yield from individual plants. Also they are a small root crop that needs harvesting at the worst possible time of the year so anything that makes the process less arduous has to be of benefit.
-
Yes, thanks, I saw your picture. I just wasn't certain if the poly boxes were the long ones fishmongers use (so perspective could be reallywide rows! I will try some in semi shade and some in direct sun and compare. Many thanks for reply. ( I have some in pots in both aspects and more foliage on sei shade ones...hardly scientific though (not leggy growth...looks fine)
-
I'm growing mine on ridges at the end of an early potato bed, in a fairly open and sunny position. I put them straight into the ground on 19 March. One of the tubers failed to show any growth when the others did but now - several weeks later - leaves are beginning to show. Maybe I planted it too deep. The leaves are quite attractive as edging, if appearance matters to you.
-
I do not think they are shade tolerant plants.
I grew mine in partial shade last year (behind runner beans) and they did not do very well at all. Trying again this year in full sun.
The plants for a future database suggests they cannot be grown in the shade.
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Oxalis+tuberosa
-
http://www.ocatuber.co.uk/
Mentions shade tolerance? Ok, will stick to sun then
-
At the open day we have Oca, Ulluco, yacon and sweet potatoes (all under glass) :)
-
Progress report.
(http://downtheplot.com/images/oca_ridges_6_09.jpg)
The three rows top right are the orange variety which seems to get growing much earlier than the others.
-
Mine are still in pots, but they're around that size.
-
Mine are still in pots, but they're around that size.
Mine aren't.... guess around 8" tall/wide for the most part and a bit smaller for the one that got mugged by a rabbit......
-
Thanks all for advice, much appreciated. I have planted out like Eristics in riges in full sun. Really pleased to get them out pots into soil but after planting that and a shedload of JA's I am walking like a duck today.
-
I think mine are getting reguarly trimmed by rabbits, found evidence on all of the plants last night ..... need to get soem wire over them ....
-
Spooky Chriscross, thats exactly what we have just done tonight...quite a few of the plants nibbled
-
Just a quick word for those of you growing oca for the first time. Any time now those lovely tidy plants will collapse with the base of stems brown and often split. This is normal and nothing to worry about. From this point on the plants become much more spreading in habit making a carpet of foliage about a foot high.
-
Well mine are spreading out and there seems to be evidence of a lot more shoots forming on the nowq exposed lower stems... I've ringfenced mine with chickenwire and it's kept the bunnies out so far.... a combinbation of Ferromol, soot and Nemasys seems to have seen of the slugs... so what now... would sticking a couple of inches of horse manure over the bases be a good thing or a bad idea or might be worth it give it a go or what?..... Or some spare topsoil?... I'm guessing we're hoping for another 3 months out of these and I'm going to sort out a fleece top for the chickenwire over the next month or so..... as the rest of the stuff is either being harvesteds or already out it feels a bit odd to have something that's due November/early December.... the leeks, winter cabbage and brussels feel normal, but waiting for winter for a tuber/root that isn't a parsnip feels wierd :D
chrisc
-
An inch or so of mulch may well be of benefit. The one thing you must not do now is dig around looking for results. There will be absolutely nothing apart from fibrous roots at this time.
The plants will produce stolons close to the surface in the gloom of late autumn and will then rapidly form tubers. Until then, wait.
Here's the state of play with mine. Most of the growth has migrated into the valleys between the ridges.
(http://downtheplot.com/images/2009/oca_ridges_8_09.jpg)
-
Okay, when I get back from the festival I'm at this weekend they can have an inch of mixed leafmould, horse poo and soot..... maybe some chicken pellets and bonemeal too...
chrisc