Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-263
Oca
Oxalis tuberosa
Oca produces small, waxy-skinned tubers with a bright lemony tang straight from the ground that mellows into a sweet flavor after a few days curing in the sun. It is a high-Andean crop that struggles wherever summer nights stay warm, so growing it in a hot climate means an inverted calendar: started in pots and set out under shade in early summer, left to coast through the worst heat, then uncovered to bulk its tubers once nights cool in autumn. The leaves have a sharp, tangy edge from oxalic acid and should be cooked, or skipped, by anyone managing kidney stones, gout, or arthritis. It does not spread on its own, so next year's crop depends entirely on saving tubers from this year's harvest.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 6–9
- Soil
- Sand · Loam
- Moisture
- Moderate · Wet
Vertical layer
Rhizosphere- Soil pH
- 5.3–7.8
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 18–20 in
- Mature spread
- 12 in
- Plant spacing
- 12 in
- Root type
- Stolon
- Spread pattern
- None
Keep exploring
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The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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