Oca
 

Early winter in this part of the world means digging the first of the Oca crop,i experimented with building a plastic frame over them for the last month before winter so as to see if that would increase the yield, which i recon has doubled the size.

[IMG]http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/Medburygardens/Picture620-1.jpg[/IMG]

Ok, had to google that one! Is oca as starchy as potato or can it be used raw?

Yep, like a potato but not quite as starchy,as for eating raw,ive never tried it.:?!?:

those are gorgeous!

Very nice, and good photo. I have only read about oca. Wikipedia has a pretty good entry. Grown at 3500-4000 meters in the Andes, and being a short day crop (and 6-9 month maturity time), I'll agree your frame was worth the effort. For some reason, now that I see someone else growing it, I'm tempted.

Do you leave the tubers in the sun to sweeten?

David they are well worth growing so if you can get them,give them a go.
You say that they need a 6-9 month maturity time and that's about the length of time i have mine growing but the tuber growth is triggered by light hours so its really only in the last month that they grow there tubers,up till then its all leaf growth.Here in the southern hemisphere the further south in New Zealand the better the yield because the daylight hours shorten quicker towards the end of the season,
I do find the longer you can keep them alive heading into winter the better.
No i haven't put any out in the sun yet,i should try it though

Here's a photo of each of the colours from the whole crop

[IMG]http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/Medburygardens/Picture624.jpg[/IMG]

Those are nice colors.

Territorial is listing 3.5 inch potted oca plants for $14.50 each.
Their photo kind of looks like the variety "apricot" (mentioned in the linked article below)

[URL]http://www.territorialseed.com/product/12048/seed_potatoes[/URL]


Another source- tubers
[URL]http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/product-info.php?pid780.html[/URL]

Article
[URL]http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2007-08-01/Hot-to-Grow-Oca.aspx[/URL]


A guy who grows oca.
[URL]http://downtheplot.com/oca.php[/URL]

Another article.
[URL]http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_70/oca.aspx[/URL]

Not too many options available, but a few pages of findings in a google search also referenced some other Andean roots: mashua, yacon, ulluco, (and one with ahipa, arracacha, and maca). Sorry about the delay, summer happened- complete with 6 foot tall amaranth.:oops:[B][URL="http://www.underutilized-species.org/documents/PUBLICATIONS/andean_roots.pdf"]
[/URL][/B]

Are you going to have a go at growing them this coming season David?? mind you i think that price for one plant is very expensive though,Garden centers here sell bags of 10 tubers for about $7.00.

Nichols sells assorted tubers- 10 for $13.95. I got excited and put in an order right away. Still expensive, but they seem to be uncommon commercially around here.

For now I think I will pass on the single plant for the same price.

Unless I put up a hoophouse, I will probably grow them in pots so I can bring them in on cold nights.



-Wow- I ordered some other seeds from Nichols as well, they got here in 2 days.

I don't see why they could not be 'blacked out' like poinsetta at the end of june till october. that would be 4 months at 12/12, and the plants could be plenty big by july 1st for forcing tuber production.

Yes 'blacked out' would work but i cant see why considering the effect in to having to cover late afternoon and remove cover mid morning day in day out,why not just let the shorter daylight hour days do the same thing.

For me i have to keep mine growing for three more weeks and i will have a bumper crop,its just a matter of keeping the frosts off them.

[QUOTE=Medbury Gardens;212916]Yes 'blacked out' would work but i cant see why considering the effect in to having to cover late afternoon and remove cover mid morning day in day out,why not just let the shorter daylight hour days do the same thing.

For me i have to keep mine growing for three more weeks and i will have a bumper crop,its just a matter of keeping the frosts off them.[/QUOTE]I was thinking more for those who cannot get them tuberized in time....LIKE ME! By the time my daylength is short enough for tuberization, it is 40 deg and raining.

[QUOTE=wingnut;215825]I was thinking more for those who cannot get them tuberized in time....LIKE ME! By the time my daylength is short enough for tuberization, it is 40 deg and raining.[/QUOTE]

You could do what i do at this time of year and have it under a plastic hophouse which would keep the rain off you get,i do it because it keeps them warmer and they grow so well under it and also when there's a frost i cover with wool blankets

I imagine that would work, but why would I not want the tuberization to happen when the weather was more conducive to good growth? It is a mute point actually as I have no access to plants or tubers at the moment...The last time I grew oca and ulluco my wife thought the garden was done and turned our flock of chickens into the garden area. There was nothing but well aerated ground where the plants had been.

[QUOTE=wingnut;215870] It is a mute point actually as I have no access to plants or tubers at the moment[/QUOTE]

Would you some??i'm sure i could mail some of the heirloom variety's that are in the photos below.

[IMG]http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/Medburygardens/Picture624.jpg[/IMG]


Your latitude of 46 deg north is the same equivalent the main growing area of Oca in New Zealand,its a lot colder there than where i am which is 43 deg south which still an OK area for growing them,
The commercial growers down south grow by the coast which is still frost free but would still have similar temps about what you get late season.

A few photos taken today on how i'm growing mine

[IMG]http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/Medburygardens/Picture1207.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/Medburygardens/Picture1208.jpg[/IMG]

That would be great, I PM'd you my address.

Thank you Richard for these beautiful seed oca.[IMG]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab61/wingnutpeaches/DSCF1954.jpg[/IMG] I will propagate them madly, and freely share them as you have done to me.

So pleased they made it Doug :D

In the photo of yours the yellow ones at 11.00 o'clock fascinate quite a bit,dont know why but it seems to be the most vigorous plants that do it.The red ones at 7.00 o'clock don't all.

Any way fascinating or not they still taste nice

[IMG]http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/Medburygardens/Picture1233.jpg[/IMG]

I am very excited to actually eat some. My friend came down and put in 120' of three varieties, and I will have my hoophouse erected over them before inclement weather strikes. So maybe this is the year?! The tubers from you I think will be grown indoors under lights to hopefully get tubers to plant in May.Do you think this is my best course of action?
Thanks again
wingnut

Yes i think so,if you can grow them as an indoor plant over your coming winter and plant out in spring,but then again you may get some small Oca before winter if they are under plastic.I found that they can handle up to -4C of frost in the hoophouse i used just resonantly and were still alive on our shortest day 22nd june.

We have a large volume of water which runns through our property sept-may.We are planning to run three micro-hydroelectric plants to heat/supplemental light the hoophouse. But I don't think that will be happening this year. I do have full indoor lighting, and am setting up a tissue culture lab/ thermal grow-out area in my basement. So I should be able to get them through spring.

Here is a photo of the white, rose, and pink varieties planted out.[IMG]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab61/wingnutpeaches/DSCF1921.jpg[/IMG]They were put in a little late, but will be haveing my hoophouse put up over then next month.

That's handy that you have the capabilities of producing your own micro-hydroelectric power on your property, i wish i could.
New Zealand been a mountainous country has so much potential for private micro-hydroelectric power production,a friend of mine works for a company installing pumping and irrigation equipment,he recons half there work now is micro-hydroelectric installment.

Your Oca may be a little late but given you'll be able to keep them growing well into the late season you should get some tubers at least.

When i was first given the Oca tubers that i sent you,they were these horrible little dried things about the size of ya thumb nail,i didnt think they were even going to come up but some did and grew a dam good crop in the end too.

I figure I have enough volume and drop to get around 5KW. My desire is to heat a 20' X 40' double wall hoophouse thru winter. I would like to keep it at 65-70 deg F. Love to have a couple dwarf citrus, pomegranate, maybe a papaya, or even a banana!

Some 'ROSE' oca that was harvested from a 8" pot that was forced to tuberize in mid August.[IMG]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab61/wingnutpeaches/DSCF2150.jpg[/IMG]

I've been wanting to grow some Oca since I first read about them in "Plants for a Future" a few years ago. I think I have the perfect climate for them - we almost never get frost here so they would be able to keep growing well into fall/early winter. Problem is, the tubers are so hard to come by in the US. :( I found one site that had all these wonderful varieties - they only sell to Europe...sigh

Territorial appears to have had only one variety (which was expensive), and Nichols had an assortment, but there is no indication if they will be selling again this winter. Are there any additional US sources (or places that ship to the US) out there that I'm not finding or should I just keep checking back to see if Nichols re-lists in November or December?

Unfortunately Elizabeth i think you may well be to far south to be able to grow them to tuber stage,here in New Zealand growers in the far north which are about 35 deg north can grow excellent foliage but because the day light hours dont get short enough the plants dont grow there tubers.
San Diego is even closer the Equator at 32 deg south.
But hey give it a go,ya never know:?!?::?!?::?!?:

Well done Doug,they look nice clean skinned tubers,how are the ones doing that i sent you??

Richard these were grown in a pot, that was blacked out since mid august, my inground crop needs another 3-4 weeks I think. I got 120' under plastic, with 1 1/2" tubers that I should be able to keep frost free through November.
As for the ones I got from you, they are doing great, and will be getting their light cut back for tuberization soon, now that I know I can get good sized ones in a pot!

That good to hear they are doing well,I'm very keen to see if you have the two yellow ones fasciate like i experienced this past season ,though its the one with the red eyes that does it more than the pure yellow,have you had Oca do that as well Doug??

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