At the weekend I noticed my Yacon tuber had rotted away, not surprised really as it was only thumb nailed size when bought, not really big enough to survive, compared to the proper tubers shown on YouTube!
My yakon is out of the loft now and just about to water it so took the opportunity to take a pic to show its progress. Looks as though only 2 of the tiny pieces of tuber have survived. I can't plant it out yet, too early, but will keep it in a cold frame and keep an eye on the weather forecast for late frosts. I'll plant it out in June.
Ours has been out of the garage @Uff, and in our cold frame, for about a month now. It's showing more growth than yours, but we have had a warm Spring in the South East. Keep them well watered now, but not saturated. Like you, we'll keep ours protected until the risk of frost is over.
Try to give them a liquid feed every week throughout the Summer, and beyond. The tubers put on the most growth over the last few weeks of Autumn, so it's especially important to feed and water regularly at that period.
A bit of cold weather/mild frost is supposed to actually make the tubers taste sweeter., so don't rusk to harvest them too soon. It's a tricky balancing act, because you don't want frost to kill the tubers for next year.
We grow ours in large potato pots, one tuber per pot is sufficient for a decent crop. They foliage is actually very pretty too. Good luck with them!
Thank you for your advice and information KeenOnGreen, I appreciate it. I shall follow them to the letter. Re your last paragraph, I'm pleased you are successful in growing them in large pots. I'd like to do that too as space is short in my raised veg beds and I have the pots. Right then, all systems go.
Hi @uff You harvest after you have had a couple of frosts. We're in London, so that's usually around Oct/Nov. Although the plants are not hardy, it's generally thought that a couple of frosts add sweetness to the tubers.
The tubers put their main growth on at the very end of Autumn, and so it's important to water and feed regularly during that period, and not to crop them before that (or you may get very small tubers). If you get very hard frosts in late Autumn where you are, then I'd maybe consider cropping them before that happens, but a few light frosts should be fine. When we crop them, we also keep a few tubers for next year, stored in a cool, dry, frost-free place (stored in pots full of dry compost).
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I'll plant it out in June.
Try to give them a liquid feed every week throughout the Summer, and beyond. The tubers put on the most growth over the last few weeks of Autumn, so it's especially important to feed and water regularly at that period.
A bit of cold weather/mild frost is supposed to actually make the tubers taste sweeter., so don't rusk to harvest them too soon. It's a tricky balancing act, because you don't want frost to kill the tubers for next year.
We grow ours in large potato pots, one tuber per pot is sufficient for a decent crop. They foliage is actually very pretty too. Good luck with them!
The tubers put their main growth on at the very end of Autumn, and so it's important to water and feed regularly during that period, and not to crop them before that (or you may get very small tubers). If you get very hard frosts in late Autumn where you are, then I'd maybe consider cropping them before that happens, but a few light frosts should be fine. When we crop them, we also keep a few tubers for next year, stored in a cool, dry, frost-free place (stored in pots full of dry compost).