Vegetable · Asteraceae
When to plant yacon
Yacon forms crisp storage roots beneath a large leafy plant. The swollen edible roots and the crown's growing buds serve different purposes, so learn which material to save before dividing the harvest.
Plant out
1 week after
Counted from your last spring frost.
Days to maturity (estimate)
150-210
From sowing to first harvest; cultivar and conditions matter.
Hardy in USDA zones
8a to 11a
A winter-survival reference; heat, chill and drainage also matter.
Choose a place for estimated dates and local climate checks.
Timing, in frost-relative terms
These offsets are the starting assumptions used by our calendar for yacon. They do not establish suitability in every climate. Your seed packet, cultivar and local growing advice take priority; in frost-free places the calendar uses monthly temperature patterns instead.
- Plant out 1 week after the last frost.
- Expect 150–210 days to maturity, counted from sowing.
- Hardy in USDA zones 8a–11a.
Getting the timing right
Give it a long enough growing season, a warm suitable position and deep soil with moisture available. Allow room for the mature canopy rather than crowding it between short vegetables.
Frost tolerance
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
Classified as tender, with a catalog cold-damage reference of 0°C (32°F)32°F (0°C). Exposure duration, growth stage and acclimatisation change cold tolerance.
Before you plant yacon
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 15°C (59°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Separate edible storage roots from the crown used for replanting
Give it a long enough growing season, a warm suitable position and deep soil with moisture available. Allow room for the mature canopy rather than crowding it between short vegetables.
Lift carefully because the large roots are brittle and damaged ones store poorly. Keep sound crown material for propagation and assess eating quality after appropriate storage. Record actual root yield; a tall plant alone does not tell you how much usable crop is below it.
What to record this season
How many roots were lifted without damage, and was healthy crown material saved separately? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: Polymnia sonchifolia Yacon Strawberry PFAF Plant Database . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
Plants For A Future compiles botanical and cultivation references. This is general species guidance, not a local field trial or evidence that every cultivar will crop in your climate.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy