Mauka: Germination

This has been a big learning year for us with mauka (Mirabilis expansa).  We’ve started to work out the details of seed production and have finally been able to produce enough seed to grow larger numbers of seedlings.  Our initial packets of seed this year were labeled at 90% germination, which is very good, but […]

Mauka: Going to seed

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 […]

Know Your Andean Root Vegetables: Part 2

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.    

Mauka: First year results

I was lucky enough to get a few mauka seeds this year and had good results growing them out.  We grew a few in the greenhouse and others in an unskinned hoop house, planning to skin it before cold weather arrived.  But, cold weather arrived unexpectedly, so that didn’t happen. I dug the eight unprotected […]