- Botanical name: Smallanthus sonchifolius
- Common name: Yacon
- Family: Asteraceae
- Plant Type: Vegetable
Yacon, Smallanthus sonchifolius, is a perennial tuberous vegetable, forming potato-like underground tubers with a distinct sweet flavour, not dissimilar to a pear, and a texture akin to water chestnut.
Grow Smallanthus sonchifolius in moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Lift the tubers for harvesting in autumn. Perennial but not fully hardy, it’s possible to save the crowns of to replant in spring – simply cut the plants back to around 10cm long and store the crowns as dahlias, covered in damp compost in a cool frost-free place where they won’t dry out.
How to grow Smallanthus sonchifolius
-
Plant size
2m height
50cm spread
-
Aspect
South facing, west facing
- Sun exposure: Full sun
- Soil type: Well drained / light / sandy / clay / heavy / moist
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Plant |
J
Do not Plant in January |
F
Do not Plant in February |
M
Do Plant in March |
A
Do Plant in April |
M
Do Plant in May |
J
Do not Plant in June |
J
Do not Plant in July |
A
Do not Plant in August |
S
Do not Plant in September |
O
Do not Plant in October |
N
Do not Plant in November |
D
Do not Plant in December |
| Harvest | ||||||||||||
| Harvest |
J
Do not Harvest in January |
F
Do not Harvest in February |
M
Do not Harvest in March |
A
Do not Harvest in April |
M
Do not Harvest in May |
J
Do not Harvest in June |
J
Do not Harvest in July |
A
Do not Harvest in August |
S
Do Harvest in September |
O
Do Harvest in October |
N
Do Harvest in November |
D
Do not Harvest in December |
Smallanthus sonchifolius and wildlife
Smallanthus sonchifolius has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.
Is Smallanthus sonchifolius poisonous?
Smallanthus sonchifolius has no toxic effects reported.
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Cats
No reported toxicity to Dogs
No reported toxicity to Horses
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
