Jicama

Have you ever grown Jicama? Do you know anybody that has grown it? Yeah, me either. Have you seen what it looks like before it gets to your salad? It's about 6" across and looks like a hefty brown fat squished turnip! You've got to peel away that tough outer part to get to the white good part. I love Jicama in salads but didn't know much about it. They don't sell plants of it in any nursery I've been to(and I've been to a LOT). 

 I wondered if maybe it doesn't grow here. But I did a little research and wanted to try. Usually root vegetables grow in cooler months. So I was surprised to learn that Jicama grows in the warm season. Being a root veggie, you'd think it was a compact grower, like a beet. Oh no. Jicama has vining top growth to 15'! My friend Jerry who is from Mexico said he'd seen it has a long sprawling habit there. Research also says to be careful because the flowers and leaves are poisonous. Ok, we won't eat those parts. I finally found seed of it at San Gabriel nursery. $4.59 for a packet isn't cheap when common seed packs go for maybe $1.99. But I bought. I waited until my Sweet Peas we're done so I could grow them on a fence.







 They took a whole month to sprout! I'd almost given up. But here they are! Wish me luck! 150 days to harvest.  So they'll be ready in Nov when I start lettuce seeds.  I'll post an update when they get big and flower.  Who knows what the flowers look like!!!

What are you growing in your vegetable garden?