[Silkworm]

Hi All,
I was thinking of trying Oca this year, can anyone advise which variety grow better here and what sort of spacing they need please.

Thanks

Silky

[sunshineband]

They all seem to grow well tbh, and are trouble free.

I plant mine about ten inches apart 

[Silkworm]

Thanks Sunshineband, what variety do you grow?

Silky 

[sunshineband]

I don't think they have any special names --- I have red ones, peach ones and pink & white ones

[surbie100]

I put mine a foot apart and 6 inches deep, same as spuds. I also earth mine up a bit like spuds too, I'm not sure it makes a huge amount of difference to yield, but the tubers are a bit easier to harvest. I have pink&white and peach thanks to the oca pass the parcel that Auntimogs kindly did last year.

[Silkworm]

Thanks to you both   when do you normally harvest them?
Do the tubers grow near the surface?
Silky

[sunshineband]

They are harvested after the frosts have reduced the foliage to mush, and then a week or two more as the tubers carry on swelling without any foliage.

Here, that means I usually dig them up (all around the original tuber, not by the surface) about mid December, but I have left them until January some years. Juts have to make sure they don't get frozen in 

[surbie100]

What Sunny says. I left mine to January because I had no time to dig them. Most of the ones planted in soil were near the surface, but there were still a fair few further down. These tended to be a bit smaller. Slugs and woodlice eat the tubers, as do mice. The ones grown in the bag went nearly all the way down to the bottom and the top ones were slugged quite a bit.

[sunshineband]

This is the first year I have had any noticeable slug damage so next year I shall be adding some slug bait when I plant them and a bit of  a sprinkle from time to time too 

[Silkworm]

Thankyou both, that is very helpful to know.
Quite surprised they are harvested so late.

Silky

[Auntiemogs]

They really start to bulk up at the latter end of the season (particularly after the frost kills off the tops). 

As previous posters have said, there doesn't seem to be a particular type, just colours mainly. 

Happy to send you some if you want to give them a go (bought my first batch fro Realseeds)?  If you want to try munching a few before you plant let me know, as I'll label them for...

chat.allotment-garden.org/swap-shop-and-recycle-all-free-to-a-good-home/7/oca-pass-the-parcel-201314-last-call/111148/

[Silkworm]

Hi auntiemogs, that would be great thanks , at least l would find out what there like before all that effort only to find l didn't take to them much.
Just let me know about the postage.
Thankyou

Silky

[Beklet]

I never got to try my oca. I started with the standard packet, sowed and harested them but the harvest wasn't great (was a very dry year). Saved them and sowed them the following year, and they grew really well ( and had a few volunteers I'd clearly missed!  ),  but then I didn't get chance to harvest them as I gave up my allotment...

But now I've moved house, and I have a garden, so I'll be buying more next month, looking forward to trying them.

On a side note, was looking at the Suttons site and they sell what they call 'New Zealand spuds' which look and sound like oca, where they say he foliage is also edible and tastes like apples - anyone know anything about this?

[sunshineband]

Well the leaves of oca do taste slightly citrusy (apply possible I suppose) and they are sometimes called New Zealand yams, (even though they originate from South America) so Suttons well  be referring to oca.

Is there a picture, as that will help a lot?

[Beklet]

Oops yes was yams not spuds lol....

And they look like oca to me......

http://www.suttons.co.uk/Gardening/Vegetable+Plants/All+Vegetable+Plants/New+Zealand+Yam+Tubers_MH3758.htm