Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: chriscross1966 on May 03, 2009, 12:18:32
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My FIrst couple of oca tubers seem to be sprouting..... at least I hope thast#'s Oca or I'm going to llook a fool putting ht photos up :D
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/8665_03_05_09_11_54_48.jpg)
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/8665_03_05_09_11_54_14.jpg)
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That's the stuff, it's emerging from mine as well. It looks just liks an oxalis.
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Does it need frost protection?
Mine's not through yet, but I did plant it under mounds of earth, so it's probably trying to fight its way through by now.
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That's the stuff, it's emerging from mine as well. It looks just liks an oxalis.
Yeah.... got this close to being weeded out when I was there yesterday :D
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That's the stuff ;D
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Thanks Saddad, for the lovely red tubers. They are up too!
Planted them early March, but protected against cold wind with a frame - no glass on top. They can take same cold.
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Thanks Saddad, for the lovely red tubers. They are up too!
Planted them early March, but protected against cold wind with a frame - no glass on top. They can take same cold.
Apparently hardy in the spring but not in the autumn..... wierd , but then so am I.....
chrisc
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Mine's showing through now - clover-like leaves. Very exciting!
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Glad they are coming through, eeek nearly weeded out ;D
Hope these show the leaves ok
[attachment=1][attachment=2]
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Was on the plot over the weekend and all six of my tubers are now up and growing I'm well chuffed :D
chrisc
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i have no idea what are oca tubers
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It's OK Lisa I don't know what they are either.
Can someone let us know and put us out of our misery.
Thanks
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Youv ask, we obey.
Oca (http://downtheplot.com/oca.php)
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Mine are all growing merrily. They'll be going out once I've managed to get a patch mulched for them.
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Thaks Eristic looked at the link what a strange thing.
I can see why you are all so excited. Will be interested to know how you all get on and what you make of the flavours.
Good Luck everyone with your Oca's
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Came back from a festival last weekend (got hit by a tornado but that's another story) to find that five of my six Oca are doing well and look fair to beat most of the weeds in the bed (gave them a good weeding too) but one of them had the foliage mown off.... I'm expecting it to be slug damage as the torrential conditions over the previous few days had removed all trace of the ferrosan (or whatever) slug pellets..... if I come back from the festival this weekend to discover any more damage they'll be getting chickenwire as the brassica nursery will need netting against butterflies rather than chicken wire against rabbits/pigeons soon.....
grr......
chrisc
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Mine are growing strongly in the greenhouse border... :)
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How are we all doing now?.... mine did thebidirectional collapse in earl August and got earthed up noy long after... they seem to be happy and will be getting fleece soon.... have sown radish and baby beets on the top of the earthing up..... plants seem quite happy, though needing slug protection .... might get another pack of nemasys as it did for them all earlier on this year... I think the big overground ones are less likely to be kept in check by it than the little underground ones....
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Mine are sprawling all over the place, apart from one that's just sat and sulked all summer. I'm just leaving them to get on with it.
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Doing well so far, lots of growth and yes getting underfoot and trying to cross paths. Glad they are all (bar one) growing well. Just hope you like eating them! Be interesting to see if the end harvest differs according to location/climate
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Hows everyone doing?... I fleeced over mine during the recent few cold nights and they've come through fine.... I should have sown the catch-crop beets and radishes earlier ( as soon as I earthed up) as I don't think I left them enough time and the Oca is now growing back towards the centre again....
chrisc
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Mine was very slightly knocked back by frost, but it's doing fine. It covered the spaces between plants long ago.
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Mine is still growing ok. When do i get to eat it? :)
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Don't lift it until the foliage has died back completely. that's what I was told, anyway. I'm leaving mine till December, unless we get some hard frosts that knock it back early.
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I agree with Robert, to leave them for as long as possible. They don't start forming tubers til' late on, when daylight hours have dropped. Its a bit of a balance between getting a decent harvest and losing to them frost.
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Having said that I did have a bit of a firkle this morning, when I was moving some unruly stems over a bit. There were some pea-ish size tubers starting to form on the stems (above ground) and about 3-4cm tubers in the ground. Must admit I didn't look too far, just good to know they are forming ;)
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You don't lift them until 2 weeks after the frost has killed the tops off... there is no toss up between the frost and the crop... the frost kills off the top growth (actually what it does is it signals to the plant that the plant needs to kill the top growth). Then even though the top growth looks dead do not cut it down etc, the plant pulls all the nutrients out of the top growth and forms the tubers... if you lift straight after the frost then all there'll be is the pea sized tuber nodes, two weeks later they will have swollen up with all the goodness from the tops....
Summary: let them run utnill the frosts kill them off (but you'd like to try and make that late November if possible with fleece)... leave em a couple of weeks then go looking for the harvest.....
chrisc
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Thanks I'll leave them be :) can't you tell I'm the one rattling the Christmas presents before Christmas ;D
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i moved my two surviving plants into the greenhouse today to help protect them from frosty weather, was this the wrong thing to do then? ???
i also did the same with my ulluca and the yukon plants, again was this the wrong thing to do?
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i moved my two surviving plants into the greenhouse today to help protect them from frosty weather, was this the wrong thing to do then? ???
i also did the same with my ulluca and the yukon plants, again was this the wrong thing to do?
If they were in pots then it was a sensible thing to do, if not then you doomed, DOOMED I say....or maybe not....where's saddad when we need him?
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i moved my two surviving plants into the greenhouse today to help protect them from frosty weather, was this the wrong thing to do then? ???
i also did the same with my ulluca and the yukon plants, again was this the wrong thing to do?
If they were in pots then it was a sensible thing to do, if not then you doomed, DOOMED I say....or maybe not....where's saddad when we need him?
;D yes they are in pots so DOOMED I'm not :). so since frost won't be a factor in finishing them off, when will i know when to dig them up ???.
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i moved my two surviving plants into the greenhouse today to help protect them from frosty weather, was this the wrong thing to do then? ???
i also did the same with my ulluca and the yukon plants, again was this the wrong thing to do?
If they were in pots then it was a sensible thing to do, if not then you doomed, DOOMED I say....or maybe not....where's saddad when we need him?
I'd put them bacjk out to let the frost get them 2-3 weeks before you want to eat them.... offbeat food to serve the family at xmas?... dunno... you could be lead experimenter to see what happens if they don't get knocked down
(http://davidszondy.com/future/Dystopias/triffid01.gif)
:D
;D yes they are in pots so DOOMED I'm not :). so since frost won't be a factor in finishing them off, when will i know when to dig them up ???.
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My Oca are in the big greenhouse border... so I dig them when I want them after the start of December, although if this weather keeps up I might have to actually cut off the foliage!
Don't expect me to know... Eristic is your man for advice. My Ulluca got swamped... my Yacon is about 7' tall... and I don't know what to do with it when I eventually dig up the tubers... ???
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Thifasmom, keeping them in the greenhouse now will give a little more protection and keep them growing for a little longer. I grow most of mine in a polytunnel. Oca and Ulluco only start forming tubers when day length hours fall below 12 hours. So if the foliage were killed by frost early in the Autumn you would have less of a harvest, as they just have not had time to produce.
So to a point, the longer you can keep them growing for the bigger the harvest. Unless your greenhouse is heated frost will eventually kill off the foliage, the tubers are still growing at this time so if you wait a further 2 weeks they will have increased in size further.
When to pick? The Oca should have started to form tubers now and if the mild weather continues ;D, I know if, then I'd leave them as long as you can. I'm hoping to harvest Dec/Jan weather permitting. Altough I'm going to pull a couple of plants while they are still green say mid Nov to compare harvest size and eating quality
Ulluco I've found produce slightly later (or they do for me) and best not to move the foliage too much as they also send down little shoots from which tubers form. I'll be harvesting same time as oca.
Yacon's not day length sensitive, as you have them in bags it may be possible to check by hand if tubers are large enough to harvest. If the compost is still loose it may be possible to just pull off a tuber from the main bunch to try. Eristic had some a nice photo of a pot grown yacon he harvested not long ago
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my Yacon is about 7' tall... and I don't know what to do with it when I eventually dig up the tubers... ???
Eat it ;D
Once dug up I've been storing mine in damp compost and they can last for ages, I've still got some from last year's harvest! Two types of tubers, small ones to be kept and restarted in the spring and the larger eating ones. You need to peel them which is easy and they can then be eaten raw, in hand,and added to salads etc. Or you can have them cooked, they don't have much of a flavour on there own but stay crispy, like water chestnuts. Nice in stirfries curries and boiled.
Let us know what you think :)
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That's what I thought I'd remembered...
I like Water Chesnuts and stir-fry is popular here...
:)
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i moved my two surviving plants into the greenhouse today to help protect them from frosty weather, was this the wrong thing to do then? ???
i also did the same with my ulluca and the yukon plants, again was this the wrong thing to do?
If they were in pots then it was a sensible thing to do, if not then you doomed, DOOMED I say....or maybe not....where's saddad when we need him?
;D yes they are in pots so DOOMED I'm not :). so since frost won't be a factor in finishing them off, when will i know when to dig them up ???.
I'd put them bacjk out to let the frost get them 2-3 weeks before you want to eat them.... offbeat food to serve the family at xmas?... dunno... you could be lead experimenter to see what happens if they don't get knocked down
(http://davidszondy.com/future/Dystopias/triffid01.gif)
:D
Chris ;D what are you like :).
Thifasmom, keeping them in the greenhouse now will give a little more protection and keep them growing for a little longer. I grow most of mine in a polytunnel. Oca and Ulluco only start forming tubers when day length hours fall below 12 hours. So if the foliage were killed by frost early in the Autumn you would have less of a harvest, as they just have not had time to produce.
So to a point, the longer you can keep them growing for the bigger the harvest. Unless your greenhouse is heated frost will eventually kill off the foliage, the tubers are still growing at this time so if you wait a further 2 weeks they will have increased in size further.
When to pick? The Oca should have started to form tubers now and if the mild weather continues ;D, I know if, then I'd leave them as long as you can. I'm hoping to harvest Dec/Jan weather permitting. Altough I'm going to pull a couple of plants while they are still green say mid Nov to compare harvest size and eating quality
Ulluco I've found produce slightly later (or they do for me) and best not to move the foliage too much as they also send down little shoots from which tubers form. I'll be harvesting same time as oca.
Yacon's not day length sensitive, as you have them in bags it may be possible to check by hand if tubers are large enough to harvest. If the compost is still loose it may be possible to just pull off a tuber from the main bunch to try. Eristic had some a nice photo of a pot grown yacon he harvested not long ago
thanks for all the tips, I've bookmarked the page for harvest reference. when i moved the plants inside i did have a little root around for tubers on the yukon and found some but didn't check for their overall size, just to see if there was some. and i topped up the soil in both the ulluco and the oca pots, not sure if that would benefit the oca but hopes it encourages more tubers with the ulluco.
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It sounds as though I should fleece my oca when there's a danger of frost, but there's no need at the moment.
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It sounds as though I should fleece my oca when there's a danger of frost, but there's no need at the moment.
I've sort of restrained the Oca with chicken wire (also I had a bunny problem earlier this year)... I jsust laid the fleece over the wire adn weighted it down when we had the most recent frosty weather here in Oxford.... it did for all the unprotected cucurbits and beans but fleece saved a courgette and the Oca looks fine... I took it off once the weather had passed as I thought it more important that it gets the water and light.....plus it's stupidly mild still..... I reckon if we get another couple of weeks of this (looks liek we've got at least a week according to the met office) then they'll be as good as you can hope for round here anyway....
chrisc
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http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Oca-Oxalis-Tubers-seed-exotic-rare-vegetable-not-potato_W0QQitemZ330377933763QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN?hash=item4cec0f33c3 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Oca-Oxalis-Tubers-seed-exotic-rare-vegetable-not-potato_W0QQitemZ330377933763QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN?hash=item4cec0f33c3)
This guys having a Turkish surely? :o
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Blummin' heck. :o Think I'll take my chances and wait for Real Seeds to list some.
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If you want half a dozen just pm me Sholls...
I haven't got that far back in clearling the big greenhouse yet :)
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Took the fleece off last weekend, we're due a frost this weekend so hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be harvesting.... Does anyone know if you can roast them?..... It would be cool to serve roast squash, potatos, JA's and Oca as a dish to the family one Sunday...... I wonder if they fry as crisps?.......
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i popped into the greenhouse this week and was pleasantly surprised :D to find one of my oca plants producing tubers both above and below soil level. the plants are defo dieing back on their own (no frost here as yet though).
should i earth them up? and how long to leave before harvesting the tubers? :)
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i popped into the greenhouse this week and was pleasantly surprised :D to find one of my oca plants producing tubers both above and below soil level. the plants are defo dieing back on their own (no frost here as yet though).
should i earth them up? and how long to leave before harvesting the tubers? :)
Only reason to earth up would be to stop pests eating them... they don't go poisonous like potatos do....well at least not according to all the literature I've read.... harvest period is a bit harder to determine but two weeks after the foliage dies is soemthing I've seen mentioned a lot.... you could have a firkle and pull out a couple of decent ones if you find them now.....
chrisc
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i popped into the greenhouse this week and was pleasantly surprised :D to find one of my oca plants producing tubers both above and below soil level. the plants are defo dieing back on their own (no frost here as yet though).
should i earth them up? and how long to leave before harvesting the tubers? :)
Only reason to earth up would be to stop pests eating them... they don't go poisonous like potatos do....well at least not according to all the literature I've read.... harvest period is a bit harder to determine but two weeks after the foliage dies is soemthing I've seen mentioned a lot.... you could have a firkle and pull out a couple of decent ones if you find them now.....
chrisc
thanks for the info, didn't think they would get toxic but was wondering if the earthing up would encourage more tuber growth ???. i'll have to patiently wait my two weeks once the foliage has died completely. whats strange though is only one plant is forming tubers at the moment :-\.
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Well I followed my own advice and had a bit of a firkle..... found a little tuber fairly high up the plant in the mid-season earthing up,,,, it wasn't huge, about the size of the top joint of my thumb..... tried it raw and it was very nice.... quite crunchy for a tuber (think almost as crunchy as a radish but with a flavour that I can see why people say things like "Lemony new potato"..... it was bvery nice, I think it would be great in a stir-fry or raw in salads..... if it roasts up nicely (assuming I can find some bigger tubers when I do harvest them) then I think we've got a winner here :D
chrisc
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now you have intrigued me further, will have to try a taste tomorrow :).
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AS I expected, mine was wiped out by the frost a couple of days ago. I would have fleeced it, but I've had a bad cold and couldn't get down to the plot. If there's anything there, we'll probably have it over Christmas.
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I deliberately unfleeced mine for this current cold patch.... I want to crop them over Christmas (and have the bed available for digging soon).....
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I think i must have the frost hardy ones as we have had a few good frosts now and they are still lovely and green.
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Sounds like promising stock.... :)
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I just noticed lots of oca sticking out of the ground. Looks as though I've got a decent crop in there.
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Sounding good :)
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Emptied four buckets and think I got quite a nice crop - well I'm happy with the results anyway. There's nothing better than a feeling of success.
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Any chance of a picture?
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I have a few tubers to grow next year and would love to see photos of others crops from this year please.
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When I lift it, assuming it's survived the frosts! I meant to have it out before now, but due to the freeze and some serious family problems, I haven't had a chance.
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Sorry can't send photos as I gave them all away as fun Christmas pressies to my veggie colleagues. Yours should be okay Robert.
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I hope so, I was a bit worried that they would turn to mush like frosted spuds.
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I have just dug up one row from my allotment.................Wow i now have a banana box of little red/pink tubers ;D Can i leave the other row in the ground until i have eaten the first box or should i dig them all up now?
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If you are able to harvest them and they are of a good size, I'd dig them up. They store well and it will stop anything else having a munch!
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Here's a few of photos
Growing earlier in the year
[attachment=3]
Oca is on the top right hand side
[attachment=1]
Freshly picked, washed and waiting to be roasted
[attachment=2]
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I recognise the Oca and presumably Ulluco underneath... is that "crosnes" to the left (Aka Chinese Artichokes?) :-\
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Sorry, got distracted, I should have added the others in, 1st picture two types of Mashua, 2nd as you rightly noted is Ulluco and the 3rd Yacon
[attachment=1]
[attachment=2]
[attachment=3]
Have you had a chance to try yours yet?
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Have you scrubbed the yacon? Ours is dark brown/black... :-\
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JayB I think I have tuber envy. ;D
Out of interest, how 'peppery' do you find Mashua? The opinions I've read online vary dramatically.
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Out of interest, how 'peppery' do you find Mashua? The opinions I've read online vary dramatically.
They can be a bit savage raw, but they do vary a bit! Cooked they are much more refined. I first tried one raw and it caught me at the back of my throat wow my eyes watered ;D I like them, a likeable/interesting flavour.
No Saddad, they are just rinsed, perhaps its just different soil types, although mine is fairly clay. But did you like them? I think they were darker last year though?!
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Does anyone know whether the tubers will grow after being frozen? I don't know how deeply the soil is frozen; I'd need a pickaxe to make any impression on it. I'm just a bit concerned about whether I'll have any fit to swap when it does thaw.
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Jayb, did you grow your in the ground or in containers
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I don't know if they will be ok Robert. Simon Hickman has them listed as Zone 7 for hardiness. I had some volunteers grow this year so they must have survived last years frost ok. Guess we will find out, I've got some left to harvest too, admittedly in a polytunnel, but the door is open!
All grown in the ground some outside others in a tunnel. Thinking of trying a few in pots next year to compare though.
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Anyone know what winter temperatures Zone 7 implies?
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I think its -10 to -15, so quite cold :-\
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They should be OK then.
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Having read through this thread a few time now, been on line, tried various suppliers ect....they are either sold out or had crop failures ...
Where/who would you advise to try, for a reasonable price ...one or two I've found that have them in stock, simply Price Prohibative ...10 for £15 Huh...!!!! plus P&P......
Cheers......
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I had some of my original tubers from Real Seeds, I don't know of anywhere else.
I know others have been growing them and I gave out some tubers last year, so someone else may offer some in swaps. At the moment I've got enough to eat and some already accounted for. But I don't know how many more I will be able to harvest, due to the weather, I guess it may be similar for others too.
If I have any spares later on I'll post in Swaps section. Also might be worth you putting a post in there to see if any spare :)
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Cheers Jayb....don't realy mind purchasing them...IF I can find a supplier with some in stock...
If you guys are having problems lifting them, because of the weather...
maybe that answers the question, why they don't seem readily available...
Thanks again for answering.....
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I may have some to swap before long. I was saving them for Christmas, and I haven't had a chance to lift any yet!
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I got mine last year from Edulis and from ebay. The ebay ones were far better quality :o
I hope they're okay... they were growing in potato bags really well... then the frosts hit in December and they've never thawed out... the coldest it's been is -13.5 and that was for 2 nights... when everything has thawed I'll be looking to see what is left...
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I may have some to swap before long. I was saving them for Christmas, and I haven't had a chance to lift any yet!
Ditto
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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.....
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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
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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.
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Welcome to A4A Ian... what else do you grow? :)
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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
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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.
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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...
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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!)
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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 (http://oca-testbed.blogspot.com/2009/11/2009-growing-season.html))
And the tiddlers taste good fried whole, then lightly sprinkled with cheese. :-)
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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
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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
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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.
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I've done a quick blog post with a pic of the oca. http://thisandthat-robert.blogspot.com/
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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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The two plants were right bang next to each other, so there's no difference there. I'm not sure; it could just be an individual plant which didn't do well.
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Today I finally dug up my oca.
As we had severe frost this winter (-15, which is rather rare in the Netherlands) and for quite some time, I thought my oca would be mush.
There were a few tubers damaged by frost, but I dug out about two kilos that were okay.
Saddad send me a handful last spring, about 10 tubers, so they produced well.
Thanks saddad :-*.
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I thought I had flung all the frosted tubers when I harvested, but today when I got out the box to select seed for next season, I noticed quite a few more had gone smelly and/or furry.
Best to keep checking!