How to Grow Jicamas
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Jicama is ready to harvest 150–270 days after planting.
Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) — Frost-tender perennial vine grown as an annual for its single large tuber.
Unlike an annual crop, the work here is front-loaded into establishment: get the planting and the site right and the same plants crop for several seasons.
The short answer
- Ready in
- 150–270 days
- Site
- soil pH 6.5–8
Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus)
Also known as: Yam Bean · 2 sources cited
Soil & Growing Conditions
Quick Facts
Harvest & Storage
Jicama through the season
What the research guides add
Jicama is a long-season crop, and the two sources below put numbers on how long.
- For optimal harvests the plant needs about nine continuous months of frost-free weather (FGCU); Missouri Botanical Garden says the plant normally needs nine months of growth for a good-sized root, so in the St. Louis area tubers may be small by harvest. (Florida Gulf Coast University, Missouri Botanical Garden)
- It is a perennial vine that can be grown as an annual: sow in spring and harvest tubers in autumn just before the first frost. Start seed indoors in flats or peat pots 4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out in full sun when all danger of frost has passed and the ground is at least 50°F. (Missouri Botanical Garden)
- Any temperature below 50°F can ruin the tuber, and FGCU suggests digging the tubers as late as possible before frost affects the vine. Without frost, harvest 150 days or more after transplanting. (Florida Gulf Coast University)
- Safety: the vine, leaves, flowers, pods and seeds contain rotenone and are toxic (Missouri Botanical Garden); FGCU says not to eat the leaves, flowers or seeds. Only the tuber is eaten. (Missouri Botanical Garden, Florida Gulf Coast University)
Sources for this section
- Florida Gulf Coast University (Food Forest plant database): Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) Quick Facts
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Pachyrhizus erosus (Plant Finder)
Section researched and checked on 24 October 2026 by the SoilCommander Editorial Team. How we check facts: editorial policy.
Last verified 2026-10-24
Growing Jicama in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA), Useful Tropical Plants (tropical.theferns.info)) is in the references of our UK guide to jicama; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does jicama take to grow?
Typically 150–270 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
What soil pH does jicama need?
A pH of about 6.5–8. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
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How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
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Plan the next step
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