I enjoy a crisp autumn morning as much as the next person. Except that I don't, or at least I recognise that there's no pleasure to be had without pain. A crisp autumn morning means only one thing for the grower of late-maturing Andean root crops - frosted plants. My fervent wish was for a few more weeks of life for my plants; that wish has not been granted. I'm not exactly choking back the tears, but I can't pretend that I'm anything less than disappointed.
Looking over Oca Acres this morning, it is easy to see the devastation that has been visited on the ocas, mauka and yacons. The latter are blackened, with the shrivelled yacon hybrid flowers hanging limply from the stems; the maukas have not just been nipped by frost, but have apparently been been frozen to the roots; formerly lush oca plants lie slumped, with eerily bleached stems seemingly drained of blood, like the victims of a vampire attack.
I won't dig the ocas up just yet. I 'll probably wait a while, so that the dying stems can pump their last vestiges of life force down into the tubers, which should be forming by now.
I say "should be forming" advisedly. Reduced daylight hours, low temperatures, low intensity sunlight - that's a recipe for disappointment if you're hoping that your tubers will bulk up quickly at this time of year. Guaranteed.
All crops can fail; all crops do fail. The knack is to reduce the odds of failure to acceptable levels. And yield ought not to be a dirty word when growing a crop of Andean tubers. The remedy is simple, although not easy: breed better adapted varieties, that are actually fit for purpose at our latitude and are able to tuberise during the summer. That's the magic, not silver, bullet I'm looking for.
I won't dig the ocas up just yet. I 'll probably wait a while, so that the dying stems can pump their last vestiges of life force down into the tubers, which should be forming by now.
I say "should be forming" advisedly. Reduced daylight hours, low temperatures, low intensity sunlight - that's a recipe for disappointment if you're hoping that your tubers will bulk up quickly at this time of year. Guaranteed.
All crops can fail; all crops do fail. The knack is to reduce the odds of failure to acceptable levels. And yield ought not to be a dirty word when growing a crop of Andean tubers. The remedy is simple, although not easy: breed better adapted varieties, that are actually fit for purpose at our latitude and are able to tuberise during the summer. That's the magic, not silver, bullet I'm looking for. I'm hoping that this year's seed crop will be sufficient to enable me grow yet more seedlings next year. I'm also hoping that I'll be able to share some seeds with the various TOSsers who've expressed an interest in taking part in Project Oca. One thing's for sure, there'll be no more oca flowers, seed pods or seeds from my plants this year.
Comments
If the frost does not penetrate deeply, they will survive. Cover it.
With leaves, compost and/or grounds...
If the frost does not penetrate deeply, they will survive. Cover it.
With leaves, compost and/or grounds...
Cordula
Emma - sorry to hear about the fate of your plants. all the more reason to breed some better varieties
IAP - it could be that although frosted, they are still swelling below ground. I hope so.
Thanks anonymous
That's interesting Mark. I've never grown pennyroyal from seed before. Have you tried Mentha requienii? Here's hoping for something below ground.