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Post by billw on Feb 5, 2015 14:32:20 GMT -5
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Post by billw on Feb 5, 2015 15:27:09 GMT -5
So, what are your plans for 2015? I'll be keeping busy. Ulluco: I'm working over the winter to turn the 2014 volunteer ulluco into at least 16 plants. I've sown about 800 ulluco seeds on a variety of different media and I'm hoping to see some results. I'm quadrupling our ulluco planting with a goal of producing 5000 seeds this year. Oca: I'm growing out fewer seedlings than last year, a bit less than 500. I'm testing 66 2013 and 2014 varieties. You can see those here: artcwiki.cultivariable.com/index.php/Trial_Ocas_2015Mashua: I'm working on starting about 100 mashua seeds right now. No idea what the germination rate will be like, but I hope that it's high. I've just purchased the materials to build a greenhouse specifically for mashua and yacon seed production. 2014 was a huge bummer, as I spent at least 100 hours doing hand-crosses on mashua and lost almost all of them to an early freeze. That won't happen again. Mauka: Along with the new greenhouse, I'm building a small blackout/greenhouse for mauka in the hope of getting some good seed production going. We have a couple plants in the greenhouse that look like they're getting ready to flower, but the plants are pretty small because I cut them back severely before transplanting them to the greenhouse in the fall. Arracacha: I had about 50/50 success taking arracacha offsets in the fall and now have five plants growing in the greenhouse that all look pretty happy. The only goal for these plants is to find a way to force them to produce seed. I don't think that this variety will ever produce a reasonable yield here outdoors, but seed could unlock something interesting. Yacon: We're doubling the size of the yacon plot, but I don't expect any seed outdoors; the flowers just come a bit too late. The aforementioned greenhouse project should allow us to extend the yacon season year-round, which I hope will increase the odds of getting some seed. I have another species of Smallanthus (S. maculatus) growing in the hope of hybridizing, but I have no idea if they are genetically compatible. Maca: The more that I grow maca, the more confused I am by the results. A few plants produce good roots in a regular season, but most don't. Is there really that much variation out of my original seed or is there something else going on? Anyway, the nice thing about maca is that it is very small. We'll grow about 1000 plants again and keep selecting for good root size. Ahipa: I should probably just put this on the list of Andean plants that won't grow here, but I have a few dozen seeds remaining from 2010 and I'm going to give it another try starting the plants in pots and not transplanting them out until June. I think the main problem with ahipa here is lack of heat. It perks up quite a bit in the greenhouse. Achira: Although every achira rhizome that I've tried has had a really unappealing texture, people keep telling me that it tastes good, so I'll grow a few plants, some from last year's rhizomes and a few more from seed. I won't put much effort into this plant unless I get something tasty. I'm also growing small amounts of a few other Andean plants like achocha, huacatay, and chincho, mostly just for eating rather than any ambitions toward breeding at this point. |
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Post by saopk on Feb 5, 2015 16:41:29 GMT -5
Bill, not sure if you received my PM about the ocas yet but I am happy to pay for shipping since I live in Canaada
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Post by billw on Feb 5, 2015 16:59:41 GMT -5
Yep, I'm hoping to get all the trial seeds sent out this weekend, so you'll be hearing from me.
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Post by rowan on Feb 5, 2015 16:59:54 GMT -5
My Andean veg plans for this year:
Oca - I only have a couple of dozen seedling plants, and another 7 from last year to start selecting from but since that is about 30 more than have been available in Australia up until now so I will have something new to introduce to my customers next year. I am just trying to get some choice for people here for now and then I will start selecting for myself and my interests. We have only had two colours in Aus up till now and one of those does not have enough heat tolerance to grow here well.
Although my originals flowered profusely last year I didn't get any seed and usually they don't flower much here.
Achocha - I really don't like the taste and texture of these but I grow a few each year for seed in case anyone asks.
Ahipa - won't grow where I live so I have given up on it. The summers are too hot and intense.
Achira - Unlike Bill, I actually like these rhizomes though I don't eat them much as it is much easier to eat potatoes, lol. I will continue to grow it but have not collected seed from it so far.
Arracacha - I have been trying to drought stress my plants to produce seed but having no luck. My offsets take easily and I have never lost one but I have had no luck getting them to produce roots large enough to be edible. I now have them in a polytunnel to see if the more stable temps will help with that.
Maca - doesn't grow here well.
Yacon - Can't get seeds from them but they grow well and I am happy with what I have. There is little chance I will be able to source other varieties.
Vegetable Amaranth - sells well at the markets since I have introduced it to my customers. I love it.
Yautia - grows well here and I am intending to find out if I can get my plants to flower. The amount of edible tuber to plant size is small which is disappointing. I now have enough plants that I can eat one this coming winter to try it out. After a bit of early trouble I can now get every offset to survive so I can build up numbers.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Feb 5, 2015 20:12:51 GMT -5
as much yacon as possible, as usual. not completely sure where it will be. we're trying to buy land this spring, but...timing.
still testing the waters of mauka, oca, and arracacha. have done oca a few times in the past and our seasons tend to be just a little short. if i could get a good harvest, i know i could market them.
also, in reply to bill saying: 'start my yacon in quart pots and transplant. They don't seem to be bothered by it at all. I'll probably pot them up next week and plant them out around the end of March. I don't think that this increases yield here, but it does increase flowering.' ...in the 2014 thread, just thought i'd follow up here:
i had potted yacon to start it for several years. i agree that they don't seem to mind at all, kinked roots notwithstanding. the last few years i planted part of my crop transplanting from pots, and the rest direct-planting chunks of propagative tuber (a technique that worked well for me in 2013, which was somewhat wetter than usual.) 2014 was a pretty bad year for yacon here, with a long hot & dry spell from mid may through early july. most of my yacon survived it, but struggled, and were much more likely to have anything worthwhile for roots if they were transplants. i'll be potting them up this year. here the planting season seems to be the month of may, give or take. in colder areas, i feel like it's worth it to get a few weeks of growth if there's an early frost-free window, even if you do catch another last frost or two later. they come back pretty quick after being zapped in my experience.
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Post by saopk on Feb 6, 2015 1:13:31 GMT -5
have you tried yacon stem cuttings?
i heard they will produce a small propagative tuber but how do you store these small ones from drying out, i have no problem with storing the large tuber but small ones might have some challenege
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Post by khoomeizhi on Feb 6, 2015 5:08:16 GMT -5
i've done stem cuttings a few times (especially when i was really trying to increase my stock). it works pretty well, but yields seem to be significantly lower than plants started from even very small propagules. more useful for multiplying propagative parts than producing food, imo. stored in soil in the basement, i never have storage problems of tubers.
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Post by billw on Feb 6, 2015 19:38:20 GMT -5
I've been flirting with success with ulluco for a while now, with some seeds that opened and failed and a likely volunteer, but today I got my first definitive ulluco sprouted from a seed that I sowed. So, the percentage of germinable seed is very low, but it isn't zero. As far as I know, this is the only picture of ulluco cotyledons that has ever been published.  |
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Post by philip on Feb 7, 2015 15:55:57 GMT -5
Fantastic! Well done, hopefully the first of many to come.
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Feb 8, 2015 9:07:35 GMT -5
From the most clumsy amateur of Europe:
Oca: try to get some yield to eat (which will be a bed of 'white', 'pink', and 'NZ II') and just enough of the others that I have to keep the lines alive, in the hope to get seeds this year. I did experiment with it in the kitchen and I quite like it.
Mashua: Pilifera did well, but I didn't find a way to eat it. Will try 'Ken Ashlet' again in the hope to get some seeds to start new lines. Other lines would be welcome too, even if ...
yacon: plant more. Good stuff, need to find more uses too. Hope they flower this year and that I can get seed.
Mauka: maybe try to get some finally?
Maca: Thusfar not bad as a cress, that's all I can say for now.
Ulluco: The one that always gets me less than that what I started with. I don't even know where my harvest is actually and I don't care that much. Unless it miraculously survives this harsh winter somewhere under the ground it won't grow in the garden this year...
So if anyone has some mauka, or interesting mashuas to experiment with, I'm interested...
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Post by Tiirsys on Feb 8, 2015 12:50:54 GMT -5
My Andean crop plans for this year: Oca- Many different common types, plus some new crosses from billw. I will be able to put in about thirty plants, but will definitely try for more. Edit: Just went into the greenhouse during daylight hours and found some Hopin is pokin' up through the dirt in it's pot. Woohoo!Mauka- I am not sure how this plant fared through the winter, yet. I had swollen roots, (two of them) but nothing has happened yet. I also had a cutting sitting in water for much longer than it should have and potted that about a week ago. Yacon- Last year I had one unknown type, and this year I ordered some different ones from billw. Mashua- Showing the first growth from the andean crops in my greenhouse right now and the first for 2015. I got one new type this year. Potatoes- I do have some Peruvian Purple potatoes, and I am hoping I can get some seed from them. Amaranth- We will see if this even grows this year. The year before last I got about four tiny plants. Last year I got sprouts and they all died off. Out of all those crops I have only tasted the potatoes and yacon. Hopefully this year I will get to actually eat some. Oh, and comment upon my opinion of how Mashua tastes. (Not quite off topic, but I was looking on GRIN and found quite a few andean crops of interest (to me), if you are going to request germplasm is there a limit to how many different ones you can request? Furthermore do people want links to what I found?) |
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 9, 2015 9:18:14 GMT -5
Let's see:
Oca: I'm committed to finding a variety that works in the north - nutcase that I am. This year, I got tubers using very simple frost protection that were about the size of the top of my thumb. Next year, hoping to get closer to the whole thumb. Grew out seed from CV and got a couple varieties that did well including one that exceeded the yield of a high yielding commercial variety.
Mauka: Was the most interesting tuber for me. Mine did not go dormant so are hanging out with the figs.
Yacon: Does not like drought - even short-lived drought. However my two crowns have produced a good number of offsets which, just as advertised, root easily from stem cuttings so I try again!
Mashua: Was eaten by something
Ulluco: ditto
Achocha: I'm intrigued by this plant. It is late here but comes on about the time that our cucumbers start to peter out. Continuing to experiment with this one.
Amaranth: Grain amaranth grows well. Experimenting with varieties, threshing and cooking techniques.
Quinoa: Does not like wet weather. I repeat.. I'd really like to get some that I can broadcast reliably.
Potatoes: So I finally buckled and started some TPS (actually I've done it once before but it was the year of the pest so it was eaten). I started with a large flat of seedlings - 100s and selected 6 that seemed interesting. I'm still a bit nervous about judging alkaloid content so I'm going slow.
Ahipa: I germinated some seeds, planted out the babies, got busy, came back and where did it go? Another victim of the critters that share my garden. I'd like to try this one again.
Bill:
Arracacha fascinates me but it seems like a total no go for my climate. I'll be watching this with interest.
Maca: That much variation huh? Looking forward to you finding the high yielder.
khoomeizhi:
I'd love to chat with you about the size of propagule that worked and didn't. At the moment, I'm contemplating separating each growing stem and planting them in order to increase my stock however only if this actually does so.
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Post by saopk on Feb 9, 2015 11:48:43 GMT -5
amaranth - random variety from the grocery store (grew well last yr)
yacon - already see some yellow sprouts hoping to split it to 5 since only 2/6 of them survive, so that will double my yield hopefully
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Post by luisport on Feb 13, 2015 17:03:46 GMT -5
I will grow for first time oca, mashua, blue potatos, canna indica, yacon, curcuma longa and zedoaria, stachys affinis, amaranthus and quinoa. I could't find ulluco tubers to grow (infortunately).
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