is oca worth it

[chickenman3]

is oca worth it

[ameno]

Depends what you want/expect from it. And also how much of a problem you have with tiny soil-dwelling slugs where you are.

I grew it for several years, but stopped in the end, even though I liked the taste, because the yield was fairly low and because lots of the tubers kept getting slugged.

It's very easy to grow, though. The tubers keep well underground as long as they don't freeze or get eaten by slugs (they dry out quickly once dug out). They taste nice. They are untroubled by diseases or pests (apart from tiny slugs burrowing into the tubers). And you only need to buy seed tubers once, then you can just save your own each year.

If you want an unusual root vegetable that yields better and is untroubled by slugs, yacon is definitely worth growing.

[Andraste]

I've not personally grown either oca or yacon myself but have done a bit of reading about them as I'm always intrigued by growing (& eating) 'new' things. I like to grow at least one thing I've never grown before each year (something my grandfather loved to do - I'll always remember him introducing us to Tayberries when they hadn't long become available, probably in the early 1980s, we were so impressed )

I think the only way to really find out is to take onboard ameno's advice & give them a try. I'd be prepared for less than ideal results for the oca as it will depend very much on your location, conditions & how the fickle weather treats you.

Space is an issue for me when planning our plot, so I'd lean toward a trial of a small amount of each to see if they're worth it for you, with a view to allocating more space next year if they are.

I'd love to hear how you get on if you do try

Edit to add: you might find this old thread (& the thread linked within) of interest https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ut/2559852-oca

[Trouvere]

It's probably not worth devoting prime in-ground growing space to oca from April to December, considering the low yield. But if space is not the limiting factor, why not? It also grows just fine in grow bags, where it might also be a bit more protected from the aforementioned slugs.