I’ve had a few inquiries lately about potato cyst nematode infestation of oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and any time I see a question more than once, I start thinking about a blog post. I should emphasize from the beginning that I have no direct experience with this subject. As far as I know, there aren’t any […]
Mashua seedlings continue to arrive at their own slow pace. Every time I get to thinking that the flat of mashua seed is done for the year, another pops up. Mashua seedlings are surprisingly shy. There is a lot going on under the ground. I grew a few seeds in a pot where I could […]
This post marks the relocation of Wetting the Beds from Google Blogger to the Cultivariable web site. You will find all future posts here and hopefully I have migrated all of the old posts over here more or less seamlessly. Existing links to posts should still work, but will bring you here instead. The reasons […]
I was lucky to get a few seeds of the mauka (Mirabilis expansa) variety Blanco last year. They grew very well, although a fairly late start meant that they didn’t produce substantial roots. I had two immediate goals for these plants: to keep them alive over the winter and to get them to produce a […]
Last week, I answered the most frequently asked question that I receive about oca. This week, I am taking on the second most common question: What are the odds that I will get a variety worth keeping from oca seed? Oca, as an octaploid, is a fundamentally heterozygous plant. Every oca seed produces a different […]
Here is the second of our Andean root vegetable fliers. This one has the lesser known Andean crops: Achira, Ahipa, Arracacha, Maca, and Mauka. There is a link to the full two-page version below. Click here for the two page PDF.
I get asked a lot of questions about oca, but one is asked more commonly than all of the others combined: how does it taste? Most people don’t want a long answer, so it is easy to fall back on the standard descriptions like “lemony potato” or “potato with sour cream.” These answers satisfy those […]
We have been very lucky to find an artist who can translate my crude scribbling into a beautiful finished product. Here is a handy introduction to the major Andean root crops: Mashua, Oca, Potato, Ulluco, and Yacon. There is also a two page flier with the same information attached below. Click here for […]
Mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum) is one of the few Andean root crops that is reportedly easy to grow from seed. It is happy self- or cross-pollinating and produces lots of flowers which grow into clusters of 3 to 4 seeds. The seeds are regarded as easy to germinate. They come up sometimes as volunteers in mild […]
Well, it appears that we have cracked the ulluco code. Since our first volunteer seedling last year, we have now sprouted three more seeds under controlled conditions. I couldn’t be more pleased. In addition to being one of my favorite plants, I’ve spent more time in the pursuit of ulluco seed than anything else that […]