How to Grow Macas Canada

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Maca (Lepidium meyenii)
  2. At a Glance
  3. Quick Facts
  4. Soil & Growing Conditions
  5. Growth Stages
  6. Harvest & Storage
  7. Pests
  8. Maca, the Highest-Altitude Cultivated Crop
  9. Plan your Macas planting
  10. Growing Maca in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) — biennial (grown as an annual for its root).

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Maca (Lepidium meyenii)

Rows of maca plants growing in Andean soil — “Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 04 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

3 sources cited · Verified

At a Glance

Close-up of a single maca plant's feathery leaf rosette — “Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 03 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 03 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Lepidium meyenii Maca Birds and rodents (youn… Crickets PESTS

Quick Facts

Rows of maca plants growing in Andean soil — “Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 04 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 04 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6.5 - 7.5
Soil texture tolerant of poor soil, performs better well-amended with abundant organic matter (Cultivariable)
Drainage well-drained
Lifecycle biennial (grown as an annual for its root)
Edible parts root (hypocotyl), leaves

Soil & Growing Conditions

Close-up of a single maca plant's feathery leaf rosette — “Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 03 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 03 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Water: consistent moisture, but good drainage -- long exposure to sodden soil degrades root quality (Cultivariable)

Soil pH range

6.5 7.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Young maca plants growing in cultivated ground — “Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 01 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 01 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing 0 Scatter seed on the soil surface and press in; germinates within two to three weeks (Cultivariable).
Thinning 1 Thin seedlings to 6in spacing with regular water, or 10in in drier conditions (Cultivariable).
Root (hypocotyl) development 4 Requires full sun -- shade reduces root size; needs 5-10 months for harvestable roots, taking about 8-9 months before flowering (Cultivariable).
Frost-triggered harvest 8 Harvest once a hard freeze kills the top growth; best roots are 1-2in diameter (Cultivariable).

Harvest & Storage

Dried maca root slices — “Dried maca slices” by Fumikas Sagisavas is licensed under CC0.
“Dried maca slices” by Fumikas Sagisavas is licensed under CC0.

When to pick: Harvest after a hard freeze kills the top growth -- roots are quite frost-resistant even as growth slows. Best roots are 1-2in diameter; smaller roots taste superior, with less fibre, than larger ones. Requires 5-10 months from sowing for harvestable roots (Cultivariable).

Pests

Rows of maca plants growing in Andean soil — “Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 04 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Kluse - Lepidium meyenii - Maca 04 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Birds and rodents (young plants)
moderate

Various (birds and small rodents)

Cultivariable names this directly: birds and rodents threaten young plants.

Crickets
low

Gryllidae (family)

Cultivariable names this directly: very little insect interest generally, but crickets have caused damage in Portugal.

Plan your Macas planting

When to sow and plant Macas depends on your own frost dates. Check the Canada vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Maca in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (Cultivariable, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI/PMC), peer-reviewed, Useful Temperate Plants) is in the references of our UK guide to maca; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What soil pH does maca need?

A pH of about 6.5–7.5. 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

Short-season growing is arithmetic before it is technique: days to maturity against frost-free days decides what will finish at all. The Canada Garden Planner does that subtraction for your region before you sow.

Get the Canada Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for Canadian growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

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 Canadian hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with provincial agriculture and university extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. 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.

Vegetable Growing Guides Canada

Last verified 2026-08-29

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