🥕 Ulluco
Ullucus tuberosus
vegetables perennial tuber (grown as annual)
☀️ Sun
full sun
💧 Water
moderate, consistent
🗺️ Zones
8, 10 (light frost tolerant)
🪴 Soil Type
well-draining, fertile, loose
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-6.8
💧 Drainage
Well-drained
📏 Spacing
12-18 in. apart, 24-30 in. between rows
📅 Days to Maturity
150-210 days (from planting tubers); tubers form during short days of autumn
🍴 Edible Parts
🍽️ ["Boiled🍽️ soups and stews🍽️ curries🍽️ pickled🍽️ edible leaves cooked like spinach"]
🤝 Companions (5)
Ulluco and oca are traditional Andean polyculture partners — ulluco's waxy tubers form at different soil depth than oca, maximizing yield per square foot.
Mashua's pest-repellent compounds protect ulluco from nematodes and insects; this traditional Andean pairing provides mutual protection and efficient land use.
🤝 potatoes
Ulluco and potatoes share similar Andean growing conditions with complementary harvest times — ulluco matures later, extending the harvest season from the same bed.
Quinoa grows tall above ulluco's low-spreading foliage; ulluco creates living mulch that conserves soil moisture for quinoa's shallow roots.
🤝 broad beans
Broad beans fix nitrogen that feeds ulluco's tuber production; ulluco's groundcover suppresses weeds around bean plants — a productive Andean intercrop.
⚠️ Keep Apart (1)
⚠️ aggressive spreaders that compete
Growth inhibition or competition
💊 Medicinal Uses
Contains betalains (antioxidant pigments) and mucilage. Traditional Andean remedy for digestive issues and stomach ulcers (due to mucilage content). Used topically for skin conditions and wounds. Anti-inflammatory properties from betalain pigments. Easy to digest, often used as a food for convalescents.
📝 Notes
Colorful Andean tuber with waxy, glossy skin. Traditional polyculture with oca and mashua. Edible leaves similar to spinach. Short-day plant for tuberization.