New Zealand yam

Oxalis tuberosa

Plant family

Wood-sorrel family (Oxalidaceae)

Cultivation Break

4 Years

Season Overview

Propagating

Planting

Harvest

J

F

M

A

M

J

A

S

O

N

D

1ST YEAR

FOLLOWING YEARS

Details

Light requirement

Semi-shaded

Water requirement

Moist

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Light germinator

Germination temperature

15 - 20 °C (Degrees Celsius)

Plant distance

30 cm

Row spacing

40 cm

Seeding depth

8 cm

Instructions

Description

New Zealand yams Oxalis Tuberosa, also called oca, are one of the “lost crops of the Inca.” You grow them similarly to how you grow potatoes, and the harvest time is late autumn.

Origin:

Anden, Mexiko, Neuseeland

Growing tips

New Zealand yams grow vibrantly colored tubers that taste somewhat like a lemony potato and green leaves that you can pick sparingly and use as you would sorrel. This crop is suitable for climates that have mild to moderate temperatures in summer and frost-free days for six to eight weeks after the autumn equinox. The tubers do not begin forming until after the equinox and need this time to grow. Save the best tubers from each year’s harvest to plant again the next spring.

Companion Plants

Bean ((Scarlet) runner bean)

Bean (Broad bean / Faba bean / Field bean)

Bean (Dwarf bean)

Bean (Hyacinth bean / Lablab-bean)

Bean (Lima Bean)

Bean (Runner bean)

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage (Cabbage)

Cabbage (Pointed cabbage)

Cabbage (red cabbage)

Cabbage (Savoy cabbage)

Cauliflower

Celery (Celeriac / Celery root)

Celery (Celery)

Celery (Leaf celery / Chinese celery)

Chives

Collard greens

Collard greens (Kale)

Collard greens (Tuscan kale / Dinosaur kale / Palm tree kale)

Coriander / Cilantro

Corn / Maize

Dill

Garlic

Garlic chives

Gemüsekohl - Flower Sprouts / Kohlröschen

Gemüsekohl - Futterkohl

Gemüsekohl - Kai-Lan / Chinesischer Brokkoli

Gemüsekohl - Rippenkohl / Portugiesischer Kohl

Gemüsekohl - Wildkohl / Urkohl

Kohlrabi / German turnip / Turnip cabbage

Leeks

Lettuce (Common chicory)

Lettuce (Endive / Escarole / Erisée)

Lettuce (Lamb's lettuce)

Lettuce (Lettuce)

Lettuce (Radicchio / Italian chicory)

Lettuce (Sugar loaf)

Napa cabbage / Chinese cabbage

Onion

Onion (Spring onion)

Parsley

Pea

Soybean

Spinach (Summer)

Spinach (Winter)

Sunflower

Wild garlic

Yacon

Zierlauche

Antagonistic Plants

Diseases

Root Rot

Downy mildew

Powdery mildews

Pests

Land snails

Aphids

Wireworms

Voles