Planting beans and oca (aka NZ Yam)

[bikermike]

I have found a few volunteers from last years crop of oca in the middle of what will be the bean bed this year.

i plant beans in a tent shape - climbing up canes leant against a central goal-post frame.

the middle usually ends up full of weeds. Has anyone grown oca deliberately? My concern is that they will be deprived of light for a critical time.

I'll definitely let the volunteers do their thing, but do I put my hand-picked seed stock in too?

[ameno]

Oca prefers shade. I've found this from experience. It always does so much better in partial shade, where it grows large, green and bushy, than it does in full sun, where it looks kind of small and anaemic. I now plant mine on the north side of my bean frame on purpose.

The one concern I would have about growing it actually in between the bean frame would be physical space, and competition for water and nutrients.

I should also point out that this time of year volunteer oca plants transplant perfectly well, so just moving them is another option.

[bikermike]

Apologies for late response. Finally transplanted some on the weekend, it seems to be happy. I had no luck the last time, so finger crossed this time.

As they are volunteers, I'm not too bothered if they don't do too well, but they will stop the middle of the been tent weeding up.