How Do You Grow Jicama?
Jicama (Pachyrhizus tuberosus) is a vine in the legume family. It produces a tuberous edible root, rather than an above-ground vegetable crop. Its long branches are covered with large leaves and attractive blue or white flowers. As a food, jicama is low in calories (only 45 calories for one cup of cubed root). It’s crunchy and juicy and tastes like a cross between a water chestnut and an apple, making it an excellent raw addition to salads. After blooming, jicama does produce flat, pea-like pods. These are not edible and contain toxins that can make you sick, so be sure to keep them pinched off to prevent curious children from eating them. But if you are able to let these pods develop, they will produce seeds that you can plant to start your next jicama crop. Step 1 Purchase jicama seed through a seed catalog. Step 2 Start seeds in a protected area that gets some direct sunlight for at least three hours each day. Step 3 Prepare a potting mix containing purchased planting soil, perlite
