oca

[lolabelle]

have some when do I plant ?? do I have to chit  first ??

[lolabelle]

[Ian Pearson]

Ah! my specialist subject!

Wait 'till they start to sprout, then either pot up, or plant out direct. Either grow in rows like potatoes, or (my recommendation) interplant with a tall crop. They work very well with cordon tomatoes.

If your area gets early frosts, consider growing in large containers so that they can be brought indoors.

Lots of detail on my oca blog. This link will take you to a record of how I grow with tomatoes:
http://oca-testbed.blogspot.com/2009/11/2009-growing-season.html

[lolabelle]

Thanks for that . wasn't sure to chit before planting so will find myself an egg box

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mine are sitting on the windowsill, not to chit, but because it's been too cold to plant them. They're going in as soon as I can get on the plot. I tried starting them in pots last year, but this time I'm not going to bother. They came through the worst of the winter with no damage at all to the underground tubers, either from frost or slugs. I lost a lot of white oca tubers which had formed on the surface, where they were just under fleece, and none of the red ones. Yield was very variable, with a few plants producing a lot, and a lot of plants producing little or none. This time I'm planting bigger tubers.  

[saddad]

I start them in small pots without chitting....  :-\

[Ian Pearson]

To avoid jargon, you could substitute the word 'chitting' with 'waiting'. The tubers can wait in an egg box, in a pot, or in the ground. When they have waited for the end of their dormancy period, they will start to grow.

I have mine waiting where they are least likely to rot or get eaten by slugs, but the ones missed at harvest which are waiting in the soil seem to come up okay too (though slightly later).

Potatoes have a dormancy period of about 2 months, and commercial growers know that this can be altered by different combinations of light-levels, temperatures, and inevitably these days, by chemicals. For example, they can stay dormant for much longer if chilled, or be speeded by gentle warmth. Oca is less-well researched. It seems to have a dormancy period of about 3 months, but I have not seen any information on how this time is effected by other factors. Like potatoes, it's likely that the tuber needs whatever the minimum time is, PLUS a certain minimum temperature to come out of dormancy. Light may also influence it, as may moisture levels, as may contact with soil chemistry. In terms of crop research, oca is virgin territory, while the potato is a well trodden six-lane motorway.

[lolabelle]

Mine are now waiting watching while my spuds chit......in an egg box in the back bedroom slightly worried that while they are waiting the cats may  think they are waiting to be played with  ::) ::) ::)

[Ian Pearson]

First signs of tiny sprouts forming on the tops of tubers today. That's a dormancy period of 62 days from lifting – shorter than last year (strange, as it was milder last year). I'll get them in some pots this weekend.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I planted mine a few days ago. I've had almost no skug damage, so I'm not worried. They can sit below ground till they're ready to sprout.

[Ian Pearson]

Yes, there's probably not much advantage to starting in pots, but I don't have the ground prepared for them yet, so pots will do for a couple of weeks.
Incidentally, last year one tuber sprouted much earlier than the others. I marked it, and kept the tubers separately labeled to see if the trait was passed on. Two of the three that have sprouted are from this group. Not conclusive yet!

[TrikiDiki]

I bought to lots of oca from differnet sources. They are very different. One lot is a mixture of clours and fairly uniform oval tubers, the others are very irreglar in size and shape.

I put them on a wndowsill a few weeks ago and more or less forgot them until I saw the lates reply to this post. So checked on them.

They have given up 'waiting' and are producing small sprouts. I will pot them up tomorrow and keep in the cold greenhouse fo a while.

[saddad]

Welcome to A4A TrikiDiki...  :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mine were drying up rather than sprouting, so they got planted. They'd have been a lot better somewhere cool, but we don't have anywhere.

[Jayb]

I just dug up a few tubers I must have missed. They are looking better than the ones I have lovingly stored indoors!



Hello TrikiDiki  :)

[Ian Pearson]

Hi TrikiDiki, sounds like you have an exciting collection of oca genetic diversity there! Where did you source them? It will be interesting to see how you get on with them all. Are you planning to grow them all in a uniform way? If so, you will be able to compare their productivity in a fair way. With such a new crop, it's not clear yet which varieties do best in which conditions. In my London clay, the red variety seems to do pretty well.

If you can multiply them up this year I may be on the scrounge/swap.  ;)

[TrikiDiki]

Ian

The first lot I got came from ebay. They were uniform shape but slight variation in size. Several colours, six different colour variations. They were clean and looked appetising.

The second lot came from an internet site I found, based in Ireland if I remember correctly. They were larger than the first batch but knobbly like a Pink Fir Apple. They were grubby and looked like not the best of the harvest. Not sure I'd eat them if I'd been offered them to eat.

However both lots have sprouted and I have potted up. I did label the two batches but didn't label the colours in the first batch. I guessed they would come true as they are a vegetative reproduction therefore no crossing involved. Is this your experience?

I am planning to plant in the same conditions to see if there is any discernable differnece in yield. Nothing to scientific. Maybe next year.

My soil is very light, sandy and extremely well drained. pH generally around 7.0.
I haven't manured the bed they are going in but will be using BFB. May put some compost in if I get the time.

I will let you know the outcome and would be happy to trade if I get a reasonable crop. I have browsed your site and found it most interesting. Had never heard of Oca before I read it on this site then beefed up on yours.

Feel free to PM if you want any more details or at harvest time to remind me you might want to trade.

Cheers

[Ian Pearson]

Yes, the varieties will come true - oh yes, no need to worry about that. Oca are particularly good at keeping their genes clean. In fact getting them to cross is very difficult. Sounds like you have got at least 6 varieties, which means you have a slight chance of getting some cross pollination happening at flowering time, and perhaps come up with a useful new variety from the seeds produced.
I'd be keen to hear how the different varieties do. Some folk get poor yield for no obvious reason that I can see, and I'm thinking it may be down to the variety not suiting the conditions.