Ulluco

Ullucus tuberosus

Waxy, bright tubers of the high Andes; like oca, it tubers only as days shorten.

Type: root crop · perennial vegetables, greens and herbs
Hardiness: zones 8 to 10
Light: full sun
Size: about 1.5 ft tall, 1.5 ft wide
Harvest: November to December
From: Andes
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: food.

Native to: Andean highlands. Hardy in zones 8 to 10.

The story

Ulluco is the brightest tuber of the Andes, grown above 10,000 feet in Peru and Bolivia since before the Inca and painted on their pottery; its waxy, lemon-flavoured tubers are eaten in olluquito con charqui and it is the second most grown Andean root after potato.

Planting

Full sun, loose rich soil, a cool season and a frost-free autumn; plant tubers after frost. It tubers only as days shorten.

Growing

Water steadily, hill up like potatoes, and keep cool; mulch. It fails in heat.

Harvest and use

Dig after the first light frost in late autumn, before hard freezes; eat boiled, stir-fried or pickled. The skin is edible.

What to watch for

Early frost, heat, and slugs.

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More perennial vegetables, greens and herbs

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home