Should I still protect my Oca?

[womble]

To my amazement and this ridiculously mild Autumn, my oca is still growing, is it worth protecting it to make it last longer now, or should I just let the expected frost this weekend kill it?
Then I'll follow zazens advice and leave them in the ground till December.

[zazen999]

I've got 3 again from last year's tubers. But, the frost kills it, then all the starch moves back from the shrubby bits back into the tubers and then the tubers grow. It looks a mess for a few weeks, but the tubers will double in size between now and the middle of december. The sooner the frost comes now, the better; or the slugs will chomp them all before you get a big enough tubers to make it worthwhile; and before the ground freezes.

[womble]

Right thanks, so leave them to die back then.

Mine didn't flower btw, next year if I have enough tubers to grow, they will have a dedicated bed if we like eating them enough, starting them off in pots didn't give them a good enough go I think.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

My Oca is still about 3 feet tall We have had the first fall of snow - the Ben and Anoch Mhor have a proper covering of snow, we've had frost and still the Oca is running riot. This weekend is meant to be properly cold, so hopefully it will start to die back.

[sarraceniac]

Zazen is spot on Womble. Mine are still fine but the foliage looks like a clover field after a herd of mad cows have run through it. But don't be impatient. By the way, mine had no flowers either but the acidic leaves really pepped up the odd salad.

[HayleyB]

Ummmm, sorry to sound thick but... What's an Oca

[zazen999]

The flowers are very rare so I wouldn't worry. They look a right mess once they have collapsed [which they will do overnight]; just bear with them. On a nice bright just before Christmas day; just have a little dig and they should be ready.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Part of the Oxaylis family and has edible, coloured tubers.

[HayleyB]

Potatoes, artichokes?????

[zazen999]

Oca.

Best to look at the Real Seeds website for info; or google.

[sarraceniac]

The Oca is a tuberous vegetable from Peru originally but is also grown commercially in New Zealand nowadays. It is very high in oxalic acid so is mildy poisonous especially the leaves, but not very poisonous. It is also known as the New Zealand Yam. It requires a long growing seasons and the tubers do not start to really swell until after the autumn equinox. Thus Zazen's advice to leave it until just before Christmas, when it will make a rare treat.

The skin is thin and slightly waxy and it is not necessary to peel it before cooking (or eating because it can be eaten raw). It tastes a bit like a lemony tattie and can be cooked in any way that tatties can but not for as long. Our favourite is roasted in olive oil and honey.

In case you want some then note that Oca seed tubers can cost up to £1 each, but once you get started you should keep some back as seed for next year. Delicious and guaranteed to break the ice at parties (dinner parties that is).

[Flummery]

Mine had a very few pretty yellow flowers. Never grown them before but looking forward to trying them. (I always look forward to food!)

[womble]

Most of my plants were killed off by a frost we had last week, but a few leaves seem to be holding on underneath, right by those leaves, there seems to be a few very small tubers forming.
I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to dump a load of spare compost I have over the whole lot and leave it for a while.

Not sure what is best to do, presumably the tubers shouldn't be on top of the soil.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Some of tubers were poking out of the compost (had been for a number of weeks), so I pulled them out Most were a decent size 3" - 4".

[womble]

Yeah well mine are about half an inch, growing in midair

I want to dig them up, but I also want to leave them long enough, can you tell I'm not good at waiting.

The ones showing in the open air, were they ok? Don't go green or anything like pots? No need to put some compost on them if they don't.