Has anyone grown Jicama before?

[jeannine]

I got some Jicama seeds from Chilterns and I'd like to give them a go but all I know is that they need to be planted in early spring and they like a warm, sunny spot.

Has anyone grown them successfully in the UK? If so, any advice would be most gratefully welcomed!

It's a very pretty climber apparently but Chiltern's say you need to pick off the flowers as that makes the root (which is supposed to taste a bit like a pear) grow more strongly. I've also heard that the young pods are edible but the seeds are poisonous?

[mapcr77]

Never grown them, but boy have I tried them! They are a staple in Mexican snacking! You can get them in street stalls everywhere, and in Christmas they are usually put inside pinatas (along with sugar cane, oranges and sweets of all sorts).

Does not taste like a pear at all, i think its more like an extremely mild (almost sweet) radish, same texture too. Great with lime juice, a bit of salt and chilli powder. Let me know if you have any success growing it, as I am tempted to get some too. Good luck!

[momol]

Hi Jeannine,

I grew it before in Singapore but it was in tropic ! I haven't try it here, it can sprawl to 2 meters long or even more with several branches, it need 4.5 months or so to form it's tuber (can't remember exactly). The taste is really not like pear like what Mapcr said (sorry to say that) it is very much like "water chestnut" taste but jicama is less sweet and juicier than the water chestnut.
Good luck with your Jicama and happy Easter .