perennial vegetable
Yacon
Grow like a dahlia and harvest crunchy sweet tubers at season's end.
Growing Profile
- Hardiness
- Zones 7b-10b
- Sun
- FullPartial
- Soil
- LoamSandy
- Water
- Medium
- Deer pressure
- Not rated No deer-resistance category is assigned yet; treat browsing risk as local and variable.
- Black walnut
- Better near black walnut Use as a black walnut / juglone planning cue; tolerance varies by cultivar, soil, and distance from the tree.
- Planting depth
- Set the crown at the same level it grew in the nursery pot.
- Container min
- 5+ gal (workable)
- Goals
- Vegetables & herbsCurb appeal & color
Harvest & Use
- Window
- sweet crisp tubers after frost
- Yield return
- 1-5 lb/plant/year
- First output
- 0-1 yrs
- Best for
- Vegetables & herbsCurb appeal & color
Harvest window: sweet crisp tubers after frost. Once established, the current pound-return model uses 1-5 lb/plant/year with a harvest window of 3-10 weeks.
Plant photos
What it looks like in the garden
Use these photos to compare the plant's leaves, stems, flowers, fruit, and overall habit before you buy or plant.
Photos show a representative plant in the garden. Fruit color, size, and growth habit can vary by cultivar, season, nursery stock, and site.
Photo sources: Forest and Kim Starr / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0 us)
Quantitative Profile
- Pound return
- 1-5 lb/plant/year
- 10-year return
- 9.5-47.5 lb/10 yrs
- Full output
- 1-2 yrs
- Mature size
- 1-5 ft H x 1-3 ft W
- Spacing
- 1-3 ft in-row x 2-4 ft rows
- Planting depth
- Set the crown at the same level it grew in the nursery pot.
- Container min
- 5+ gal (workable)
- Productive life
- 5-15 yrs
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Reliability
- 4/5
- Data quality
- Low profile, Low yield confidence
Pound return is the stock-style yield metric. These are planning ranges for comparing plants, not guarantees. Cultivar, rootstock, climate, soil, pruning, pest pressure, and wildlife can move actual results.
Planting Checklist
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Cage, stake, or spiral support
Support / Install at plantingSupport upright fruiting vegetables and tall flowering annuals before stems get heavy.
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Right-size container with drainage
Containers / Before plantingUse a container large enough for mature roots, with open drainage holes to prevent root rot.
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Expanding container potting mix
Containers / Before plantingUse a lighter container medium instead of dense garden soil in pots and grow bags.
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Floating row cover
Protection / At plantingProtect young crops from wind, light frost, and early pest pressure while still letting light and water through.
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Soil test kit or lab mailer
Site prep / Before plantingCheck pH and baseline nutrients before adding amendments, especially for fruiting crops, native beds, and acid-loving plants.
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Plant labels
Planning / Planting dayTrack cultivar, planting date, and variety when comparing harvests or pollination partners.
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Organic mulch
Soil / After plantingHold soil moisture, suppress weeds, moderate soil temperature, and protect shallow roots.
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Hand trowel
Tools / Planting dayPlant starts, herbs, flowers, bulbs, and smaller container plants at the right depth.
Yield curve
Estimated Pound Return
Projected annual yield ramp from establishment to full production, using the current sourced range for Yacon.
- Year 1
- 0.5-2.5 lb First-year estimate from the sourced curve.
- Year 5
- 1-5 lb
- Year 10
- 1-5 lb
- 10-year total
- 9.5-47.5 lb/10 yrs
Shaded band shows the sourced low-to-high pound-yield range. The line tracks the midpoint for quick comparison.
Method: direct pound yield from crop metric source. Annual crops assume one comparable planting per year; perennial crops ramp from first bearing to full production.
Planting Strategy
- Planting depth: Set the crown at the same level it grew in the nursery pot.
- Container minimum: 5+ gal (workable). Use 5+ gal for most single vegetable plants; smaller leafy/root crops can use less.
- Start with one plant when testing fit in a new bed or container.
- Plant more than one when harvest volume or pollination is the main goal.
Risk Factors
- Match the site first: full, partial light, loam, sandy soil, and medium water.
- Use 1-3 ft in-row x 2-4 ft rows as the first spacing model; adjust for hedges, trellises, containers, or local guidance.
- Plan around mature size: 1-5 ft H x 1-3 ft W.
- For harvest planning, treat "sweet crisp tubers after frost" and 1-5 lb/plant/year as planning ranges, not guarantees.
- Quantitative data quality is low for this record; verify before buying or planting at scale.
Related Planning Guides
Comparable Plants
Sources & Methodology
This guide combines hardiness range, light, soil, water, harvest timing, traits, supplier links, plant relationships, and quantitative planning metrics. Pairings are screened for practical garden fit.
Quantitative values use extension and botanical-reference ranges where available. For less-studied cultivars, similar crops fill gaps conservatively. Ranges are intentionally broad so the profile stays useful without pretending to be exact.
Planning sources: NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxMissouri Botanical Garden Plant FinderK-State Extension Master Gardener Handbook - Herbaceous PlantsUniversity of Maryland Extension - Types of Containers for Growing VegetablesIllinois Extension - Growing Vegetables in Containers
Supplier search: Amazon. Search links are not paid placements unless explicitly marked; affiliate listings may earn a commission. Last reviewed: 2026-05-31.