CURRENT PLANT ORDERS WILL SHIP IN OCTOBER 2023
Mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum) potted plant, organic
$11.00
Family: Nasturtium (Tropaeolaceae)
Perennial in Zones 8 to 12 where it does best at middle elevations. As a garden annual, this is a good choice for temperate gardens, where it will mature its tubers by November.
Vining perennial native to Peru and Bolivia, with flattish, palmate leaves and orange, spurred flowers. Highly desired delicate climbing vine to 8 feet, very very showy on the landscape. Tender. The production of the thin-skinned, tuberous roots is stimulated by shortening days, therefore harvested very late in the season. Tubers are used in soups, being kind to the liver and kidney, also purportedly an anaphrodisiac that gets served up when the lady of the house is feeling exhausted. When fresh, the mashua are as peppery as a Nasturtium bud, but when cooked they are mild and yummy in taste. They are particularly nice when roasted along with meats. The leaves are also edible, as are the buds and flowers. The tubers make a good pickle. Plant like a potato. Trellis. Benefits from growing in soils of relatively low fertility but good structure. In hot areas, give shade or partial shade. Hill up. Give plenty of water late in the growing season to encourage formation of tubers. Space plants 3 feet apart.
Potted Plant, Certified Organically Grown
Out of stock
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Question
Nick –
Hello I was wondering if mashua is available in late july 2021? i know that it says in-stock but i just wanted to make sure considering most other places don’t have it available. if started in the autumn/late summer will it survive over the winter indoors with a moderately cold winter or is it best to store the tubers and start them up in the spring? thanks!
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Richo Cech –
Hi Nick,
Mashua plants are in stock and orders made in late july ship in October. The reason for the gap between ordering and shipping is 2-fold. 1) its too hot to ship plants. 2) we ship first come first served and September shipping is already full. Unless you have a heated greenhouse I think it would be safest to order in January for spring delivery. Richo
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nick –
i do have indoor lighting artificial lighting that can keep plants growing quite happily. our winters are so mild that some tomatoes survived in the ground and kept trying to produce fruit all winter. i have seen some sources online make reference to growing mashua indoors so i believe it might be doable. if i purchase the tubers now they’ll arrive in october? if our winters stay mild it should survive, I’d think, if the leaves only die because of the frost and not day length. if you have any more information on this i would love to hear it, thank you
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Richo Cech –
Hi Nick,
We have plenty of Mashua. If you order right away you’ll still get in on the October delivery. I like it when growers are confident about their ability to work with plants of any and all types. My job is to get you a live and properly identified starter.
Richo
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Question
Eugenia Wagner-Shaw –
Do you know the variety? Is it ken Ashley?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Eugenia, we have a number of varietals going and aren’t listing these down to variety–just making sure you get a solid Tropaeolum tuberosum. Richo
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Question
Eugenia Wagner-Shaw –
Will you be getting any Tropaeolum tuberosum mashua tubers in soon?
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Richo Cech –
I didn’t know the inventory had gone down on this and need to get in touch with nursery staff to see if we have plants or not. Click “waitlist” richo
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Admin Richo Cech –
Mashua can be grown indoors! It likes to climb and will do well planted next to other larger houseplants in which case it will climb up on them, or lacking living trellis the plant will drape itself on the drapes, ride any convenient rail, or plummet down from a hanging pot like a bungee jumper from a bridge. Mashua are slow growing and thus long lived indoors, and will rarely flower unless given adequate light, but the leaf form is so interesting that flowers are not really needed in order to fully enjoy the plant. These are herbaceous perennials and should be cut back in October and overwintered in a cool, somewhat dry location. The plants may be awakened around April and will vitally reassert themselves, envigorated by their long winter nap.
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