Yacon
Yacon
Smallanthus sonchifolius
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
75 cm
Row spacing
110 cm
Seeding depth
3 cm
Instructions
Description
Yacon is native to the South American Andean highlands and belongs to the Asteraceae family. As a perennial root and tuber vegetable, it requires plenty of light and sufficient moisture to thrive. Since it is not cold-hardy, the plant is sensitive to low temperatures.
Origin:
Andean Highlands
Growing tips
It's best to start pre-cultivating between calendar weeks 14 and 17—around April—and plant the seeds 3 cm deep in the soil. When transplanting, space the plants 75 cm apart, as they need plenty of room. Because of their high light requirements, choose a very bright spot, keep the soil consistently moist, and provide the plant with plenty of nutrients, as it has high nutritional needs.
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
