[Auntiemogs]

my vet (from NZ) says they're delicious. 

Those Kiwis will eat anything. Next time you see him ask him about Pooh Hah. We had a Kiwi here who collected all the soft thistles from around the rugby ground and stewed them. Apparently they're a luxury in Auckland where they refer to them as Pooh Hah

Ooh, and there I was about to sort out the best ones for her as she 'hadn't eaten them in years' - plenty of thistles around here Alan (are you sure he wasn't pulling your leg?), nomnomnom. 
I shall very cautiously ask her! 
Then again, they are

[AlaninCarlisle]

Certainly wasn't pulling my leg. I helped him gather them. They're also daft about water-cress too. I used to take him to a stream where it grew in profusion. Also,ask your friend about their weird habit of cooking meat underground in what they call a Hangi

[arugula]

Dug up a few today -- lovely red tubers abtou two inches long, and some smaller roundy ones.

I've lifted a few today some even three or four inches and some tiddlers - our first ones - to try.

Steaming them in foil, with butter, black pepper and lemon to have tonight with dinner

This sounds really good and I plan to cook them like this as part of lunch, I will report back.

[arugula]

Returning with a very positive report. These are definitely worth growing especially as they are a very low maintenance food crop.

[Ema]

These sound well worth a try. I'm not expecting a great crop of main crop spuds his year based on very one else's reports from last year so these sound like a great winter food to make a change from squashes.

where's the best place to get some tubers from? would they benefit from growing through a plastic membrane?

[arugula]

They can be bought from Real Seeds:

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/unusualtubers.html

I was given some, but so many people on here grow them that I'm quite sure someone might swap you for something else?



Regards growing under cover, I believe they prefer not to have any mollycoddling as they grow naturally in the Andes (I think).

[Ema]

wow they're quite pricey!

[New shoot]

They are but they multiply very fast.  As Arugula says, there is also usually a roaring trade in swapsies so why not try in the swap shop if you have anything to offer in return 

[Gandan57]

I found when I harvested mine that where the foliage had flopped over and the stems touched the soil, tubers formed. I was finding tubers 12-15 inches from the plant roots.

This year in late summer once the foliage has grown all it is going to and has flopped over I intend to carefully add more soil onto the stems (not the leaves), to see if I can increase the yield of tubers.

[Sparkyrog]

Real seeds are out of stock

[Herb]

I ordered mine from eBay.

[Ema]

I brought some this morning at the local potato day £3.50 for 5 in a little bag. are they ok to stay in the bag for a while? if not I can only put them into pots and they'll have to be transplanted later on

[New shoot]

I've got my seed crop stored in dry sand under the greenhouse staging.  I threw some fleece over them when the snow arrived.  Checked them today and they are OK    I think they need cool conditions to stop them sprouting too soon, just like seed spuds.

I'm pretty much a novice at growing them.  I got some as a gift last year and potted them up before planting out after the frosts.  They grew away just fine 

[ThatsNice]

Ema, I bought some recently and the info with them said to watch them in case they start to chit, the same as potatoes they can go leggy, tangle etc. probably best to set them out in egg box or seed tray to avoid this, allowing them to chit naturally, It's what I've done with mine. That said, I'm a new gardener and first time trying oca, so perhaps someone else will know better.

[sunshineband]

My 'seed stock' manages just fine in a paper bag in the hallway , where it is not that warm.

If you do not have many, you can pot them ins 3 ins pots around the end of February, and plan them out mid April/May when there are no more hard frosts to come.

I just poke mine in the ground about 2 ins deep when I am planting out the tomato plants (grew them in adjoining rows last year, worked well space-wise) so that gives you an idea. I had too many to faff about with pots

Bear in mind though that if yu live further north than me then it will be later, but it really shouldn't matter for a wekk or two