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I've been lucky enough to harvest more seed than I'll need for next year, if anyone fancies some to grow. It'll be a mix mostly from the seed sown Oca's I grew this year, should be a nice varied mix.
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If you have spare, I'd be interested but as I'm a novice I quite understand/ step to one side for others. Who are more experienced.
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I'm not looking for anything in exchange thanks. You are welcome to some seeds but perhaps for this year some tubers of trial oca varieties would be more productive. I shared 3 varieties with last years seed Circle, that were all very productive for me. These might be a good starting point?Comment
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All three of the seed circle varieties have sprung into new growth here with Bracelet and especially Redley already turning into plants. Just moved them in their 9cm pots to the greenhouse yesterday to harden off before finally planting outside. One of Silverleaf's varieties also has burst into making a plant, the other two are showing tiny shoots. I have kept my pot with the oca seeds frostfree over winter, but no further plants have emerged and I don't know whether they still could, but I have kept the pot just in case. My new varieties are also ready to plant into pots together with the New Zealand Red and the best of my 'old' pink and red unnamed tubers. There will be a good row of oca here. Growing from seed it fun, but they are slow to emerge and a bit erratic. Maybe it is just brown thumb here. The seeds are tiny and you need a microscope for the emerging plants initially. Once past frost they are as tough as old boots. I think I reported in trials that the cuttings did not survive winter in the frost-free conservatory (neither did the ulluco) but each cutting produced a tiny tuber before it faded away and one produced two.
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Thanks JayB, tubers would be fantastic. I do feel guilty though as you are being exceedingly generous. Please let me cover postage etc.
I had a lovely evening reading OCA sites/ trials last night. Intrigued that the split colour ones if split provide different colour.Comment
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I haven't got round to planting any of mine yet, they are on a sunny windowsill in egg boxes chitting like mad!
My plan is to keep them in pots and transfer them into the potato bed when I harvest the spuds, as that worked fine for me last year. I'll probably have to squeeze them into gaps here and there as well, because of course I have far too many...
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First time growing oca. Mine are chitting I'm in two minds either grow them in a bucket or put them in the ground. Been reading how to grow them seems easy when you read it but growing it will different especially the harvest time. Do slugs bother oca?Comment
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Oca aren't any trouble at all, you just have to remember to give them at least 3 weeks to finish growing after the killing frost if you can, before you harvest them.
Some of my tubers last year had some holes but I don't know whether that was slugs or something else...Comment
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Sorry, been hugely delayed, I've not forgotten, just other things have gotten in the way. Will be posting before long.Comment
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First time growing oca (seeds came from you) these have been in the allotment for about 3 weeks now.Comment
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Oooh they look smashing, hope you like them. They are a bit of a thug for space and a late cropper, so not until the end of the year. I haven't even planted mine!Comment
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All oca are finally planted here. My oca from seed and the 3 from you Jayb and the 3 GOBs from you Silverleaf. Yours and Jayb's Pobbles, Bracelet and Redley filled 8 inch pots, high time they went out, but had to wait for the shallots to go before I had the space. I did not think they would fill the pots so comprehensively in such a short time. I had them under the greenhouse bench. On planting out I spotted a few half inch long tubers already. That's very early. Looking forward to them. And maybe compatible flowers so they have a chance to cross.Comment
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Tubers already? Wow, maybe daylength neutral then?Comment
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Don't have the number to hand, but it was the one with the white tubers, Silverleaf. And yes, I was surprised too. Not sure about daylight neutral, they were under the greenhouse bench at the end of the greenhouse that is a bit shaded by the shelter bush and the bush has only recently been trimmed. It gets trimmed for maximum light for the tomatoes in summer, then left to grow to prevent gale damage to the greenhouse. The fence adjacent has been down several times, but the bush is doing sterling work protecting the greenhouse. Anyway, they were in a fairly dark place, so the tuberisation could have been caused by the duller conditions. Perhaps we could all aim to plant our oca in the shade? Maybe lack of light helps. -
Oh interesting! I think I sent you GOB 13104 as that's the white one that flowered for me.
I'm sure I read something recently about artificially reducing the day length by covering the plants with black cloth or similar for part of the day. But a proper daylength neutral strain would be even better!
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