Yacon
Yacon
Smallanthus
Plant family
Daisy family (Asteraceae)
Cultivation Break
2 Years
Season Overview
Propagating
Planting
Harvest
Harvest
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
1ST YEAR
FOLLOWING YEARS
Details
Light requirement
Sunny
Water requirement
Moist
Soil
Light (sandy)
Nutrient requirement
High
Germination temperature
18 - 22 °C (Degrees Celsius)
Plant distance
90 cm
Row spacing
110 cm
Seeding depth
7 cm
Instructions
Description
Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is a tuberous vegetable of the composite family, related to sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke. Originally native to the Andes of South America, yacon reaches heights of up to 2.5 meters and produces edible tubers. The plant can produce yellow flowers and is sensitive to frost.
Origin:
USA, Mexiko, Zentralamerika, nördl. Südamerika
Growing tips
Yacón thrives best in a sunny, sheltered location with loose, well-drained soil. If the rhizomes are planted 5-10 cm deep and at least 80 cm apart, the roots can develop optimally. After the Ice Saints, the plants should be planted outdoors to avoid frost damage. Preparing the soil with compost and sand ensures good drainage, while regular, moderate watering and a layer of mulch stabilize the moisture and suppress weeds. Continuous monitoring for pests and diseases rounds off the cultivation process so that your yacón plants can grow healthily.
Companion Plants
Anemone
Aronia berries
Arugula / Rocket
Basil
Bean (Broad bean / Faba bean / Field bean)
Bean (Dwarf bean)
Beetroot
Borage
Calliopsis / Tickseed
Celery (Celeriac / Celery root)
Celery (Celery)
Celery (Leaf celery / Chinese celery)
Chard
Chickpea
Chives
Comfrey
Common marigold
Coriander / Cilantro
Currant
Daylilies
Dill
Dogwood
Garlic
Garlic chives
Gooseberry
Hyssop
Jostaberry
Lettuce (Endive / Escarole / Erisée)
Lettuce (Lamb's lettuce)
Lettuce (Lettuce)
Lettuce (Radicchio / Italian chicory)
Lettuce (Sugar loaf)
Nasturtium
Onion
Parsley
Pea
Phlox, flame flower
Rock pear (Amelanchier)
Rose
Rudbeckia (Coneflower / Black-eyed-susans)
Spinach (Summer)
Spirea
Sweet pea
Sweet woodruff / Sweetscented bedstraw
Antagonistic Plants
Abyssinian cabbage / Ethiopian mustard
Aster
Aubergine / Eggplant
Begonias
Black salsify
Blackberry / Brambles
Broccoli
Broccoli raab / Stem cabbage / Cima di rapa
Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts
Buddleja / Butterfly Bushes
Cabbage (Cabbage)
Cabbage (Pointed cabbage)
Cabbage (red cabbage)
Cabbage (Savoy cabbage)
Cauliflower
Cherry laurel
Chili
Chinese kale - Kai-lan / Chinese broccoli
Collard greens
Collard greens (Kale)
Collard greens (Tuscan kale / Dinosaur kale / Palm tree kale)
Corn / Maize
Courgette / Zucchini
Cucumber (African horned cucumber / Kiwano)
Cucumber (Caigua)
Cucumber (Melothria)
Cucumber / Gherkin
Fennel
Florence fennel / Finocchio
Forsythia
Funk
Garden squash - Patisson / UFO squash
Grasses - Bamboos
Grasses - reeds, cattails, bulrushes
Green lavender cotton
Hair cucumbers / snake gourds
Hellebores
horse chestnut
Horseradish
Ivy
Jerusalem artichoke / Topinambur
Kohlrabi / German turnip / Turnip cabbage
Larkspur
Lavender
Lilac
Lovage
Maples
Melon (Sugar melon)
Melon (Watermelon)
Mizuna / Japanese mustard greens
Napa cabbage / Chinese cabbage
Ornamental pumpkin
Pak Choi
Pepper / Paprika
Potato
Privet
Pumpkin / Squash
Rapeseed - Sheer cabbage / Siberian cabbage
Rapini / Broccoli rabe
Raspberry
Rhododendron
Rosemary
Sage
Sea buckthorn
Sea coal
Sponge gourd / Egyptian cucumber / Vietnamese luffa
Spruce trees
Stem herbs
Strawberry
Succulents
Summer asters
Sunflower
Taybeere, Tayberry
Thyme
Tomato (Bush tomato)
Tomato (Cocktail bush tomato)
Tomato (Cocktail Stake Tomato)
Tomato (Stake tomato)
Turnip
Turnip greens - Choy Sum / Chinese flowering cabbage
Turnip greens - Mizuna
Turnip greens - Tatsoi
Turnips - Oilseed turnips
Turnips - Wild turnips
Vegetable cabbage - Forage cabbage
Vegetable cabbage - Ribbed cabbage / Portuguese cabbage
Vegetable cabbage - wild cabbage / ancient cabbage
Walnut family
Willows
Yalta tomatoes
Diseases
Septoria
Powdery mildews
Root Rot
Fusarium
Pests
Land snails
Aphids
Voles
