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This is my first go at oca, and I'm growing them in a "self watering" pot. There are great masses of leaves pouring out onto the ground, and I've been looking forward to yellow flowers, but no sign.

Incidentally, I read the other day that the leaves are edible so I added some to a salad. Can't say they are particularly interesting.

Oca flower very late, just before frost and some years not at all.  Look on the flowers as a bonus possibly in 4 weeks or later - or not at all this year.

The flowers are very pretty.  They are similar in their flowering habit to Jerusalem Artichokes, which don't flower every year, but not flowering does not affect their tuber production.

Thanks! I didn't realise they flowered so late. I do realise, though, that we are advised not to dig them up until the last possible moment when frosts arrive, perhaps even in December.

Quote from: artichoke on September 01, 2012, 10:13:21
Thanks! I didn't realise they flowered so late. I do realise, though, that we are advised not to dig them up until the last possible moment when frosts arrive, perhaps even in December.

Actually..let the tops die and wait for another couple of weeks tubers to sweeten and then dig them up.. ;)
Last year I didn't dig mine up until mid-January...though they were growing in GH.

That's interesting, thanks. I can easily put some protection over the box they are growing in and leave them until January - though I might have an impatient poke round first just to see what is happening. Might even bring the box indoors, as it won't need any light.

This year my Ocas are only about 1/3 the size of last year!!!!

Oca may flower earlier. Certainly mine have been flowering continuously for a month now. My observations are that flowering seems to occur only when there are high levels of relative humidity. In particular, I have noticed that if dew is present in the mornings over a period, flowering becomes likely.
I wrote something about this a couple of years ago:
http://oca-testbed.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/flowering-of-oca.html