Maca, Black (Lepidium peruvianum), packet of 10 seeds

Family:  Mustard (Brassicaceae)

Overwintering in Zones 5 to 9, otherwise grown as a spring-planted annual

Biennial, radish-like, rosette forming plant native to the high Peruvian Puna.  This is a select cultivar that produces black roots.  Sow the seed on the surface of the seed bed, stir it around with your fingers, then tamp in securely.  Germination is in 4 days at 65 degrees F soil temperature.  Plant prefers full sun and a fast-draining soil. Maca likes a somewhat alkaline soil, such as decomposed granite or volcanic soils.  Composted manures are a good fertilizer for MACA.  In colder zones 5 to 7, sow in spring.   In warmer zones 8 to 9, sow in fall.  Thin to 6 inch spacing, and harvest after the first year of growth.   Here in Williams we get very little snow, and the plant grows through the winter, which is preferred, as it encourages bulbing (the hypocotyl).  If left in the field for 2 years, the root will become quite woody and the plant will go to seed.  Probably the best regions for growing maca are high steppes in tropical or subtropical countries.  The plant is very tolerant of high intensity sunlight and withstands drastic temperature fluctuations.

10 seeds/pkt., Open Pollinated, Untreated, NO GMO’s