How to Grow Oca

Oca is a South American tuber that can often be found in markets specializing in Latin American foods. Resembling a small potato, oca is rich in the nutrients essential for healthy muscles, organs, hair and nails. It is also rich in carbohydrates, phosphorous and iron.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Sow oca tubers during mid-March into large pots. Keep the oca indoors until the plant has had a chance to establish and vine. Once the danger of frost has passed, transfer the oca into an outdoor garden.

2. Plant the established oca tubers in sandy soil in a spot that will receive at least 12 hours of continuous sun each day. Oca is heat and drought sensitive, and care must be taken to ensure that the plants are well-watered.

3. Harvest the oca in late December or early January. Be sure to protect the oca from frost by covering the crops with plastic tunnels.

4. Store oca in a cool, dry spot.

Tips & Warnings

• Incorporate a cactus potting mix into your garden soil when planting oca.
• The flavor of oca is dependent on the variety grown and can range from potato-like to sweet tasting. Likewise, oca can be prepared various ways, including boiled, steamed, dried and candied.
• The leaves and flowers of oca are edible and easily be incorporated into salads.
• Because oca contains oxalates, which can be harmful to the urinary tract if eaten in large amounts, anyone who is allergic to other oxalate-rich vegetables, which include rhubarb, sorrel, beet greens and spinach, should avoid oca. Likewise, people suffering from gout or kidney stones should also not eat oca.