Growing Yacon, also Sunroot

Smallanthus sonchifolius : Asteraceae / the daisy family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec

Not recommended for growing in USA - Zone 5a regions

  • Easy to grow. Plant sprouting root/tuber to a depth of about 4cm and mulch to cover. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 77°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 39 inches apart
  • Harvest in approximately 25 weeks. You can collect a few at a time without digging out the whole plant..
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Best in separate bed

Your comments and tips

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14 Aug 18, TONY MCRAE (Australia - temperate climate)
I am on the east coast of Tasmania and would like to get hold of some Yacon plants. Does anyone have any available? I can collect north or south of the state. Thanks, Tony.
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04 Oct 18, Janice (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Tony, I am in Hobart and have recently harvested my Yacon and have several clumps of Rhizomes/tubers available if interested. Happy to give away. They grow well here and multiply ++ I acquired my first tuber from a friend in Burnie (they grow well there) ... founder of Food Plants International, which has produced the largest database (fee online) of edible food plants in the world.
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09 Jun 20, Trevor Clark (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Janice I am also in the hobart area and was hoping to obtain some Yacon tubers or root stock. Can you please point me in the right direction, cheers trevor
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01 Jun 19, June (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Diggers Club don't have the Yacon would you be willing to post to me I will of course cover all costs.
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30 Jul 18, Chris Gee (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I grew one Yacon last year a couple of small tubers (just a taste) I have broken up the roots and put them into 200mm pots can I plant these into the garden now or should I dig them up and plat later if so when should I plant?. I live just north of Mackay Qld.
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31 Jul 18, Linda Shewan (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have grown yacon for many years and I usually just replant immediately if I'm somewhere the frosts aren't too harsh. I live in a colder zone now so I have dug them up and put them inside and will replant after last frost date this year. You only replant the rhizomes, not the tubers. So dig them up, eat the tubers and replant the rhizomes into individual spots.
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31 Jul 18, Mike L (Australia - tropical climate)
You are Tropical and it says plant April to July. Read the notes here.
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29 Jan 19, Chris Gee (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
We are on the coast 40Km north of Mackay and we are usually 2-3 degrees cooler than Rocky so I have been using the sub tropical zone and it usually works fine.
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01 Jun 19, June (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
We are on the sunshine coast and can't find a supplier anywhere could you advise where you got yours from please.
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19 Jul 18, Julie Bourke (Australia - temperate climate)
I have just harvested about 5 kgs of yacon tubers and I was wondering how long they will last before cooking/eating and should they be kept in the fridge?? I am just trying to work out whether it is best to give most away or whether they will last until we eat them....5kgs is rather a lot of yacon!!! Can you overdose on it???
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In July I planted some tubers I got from my relative in the Blue Mountains ...cold up there. Came back to Brisbane and left them lying around for a few days before I got round to finding a big enough garden bag/soil to plant in. Put them NOT too deep in organic compacted soil and in a week or two they shot up. Now in September they are growing very quickly and looking great. The tubers had gone a bit 'soft' before I planted them but all seems to have gone fine...so far. Not sure when they may reach flower and die back. Excited to see what happens.

- Linda B

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