Growing Achira: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 10, 2026
Achira is a rhizome crop related to the ornamental canna lily, with similar-looking foliage but grown for its large, starchy rhizomes rather than its flowers.
Warm, not scorching
Achira wants real warmth but not extreme heat, doing best where summer highs sit comfortably in the 80s°F. Stretches of 90°F or more can damage it, and growth slows to a crawl below 50°F, so it’s a plant for a warm-summer garden rather than a hot or cool extreme.
Flexible timing, sheltered spot
Unlike oca and mashua, achira isn’t photoperiod-dependent, so timing is flexible as long as it gets enough growing days. Plant rhizome or buds about 3 inches deep in mid-to-late spring once the soil has warmed, spaced roughly 2 feet apart in the row. It can also be started from seed indoors about 8 weeks before the last frost, though germination is inconsistent unless you chip the hard seed coat and soak it 48 hours first. Give it a sheltered spot, since strong late-season wind knocks the tall plants over easily.
Perennial in mild winters, annual elsewhere
In climates where the ground doesn’t freeze more than an inch or two deep, roughly USDA zone 8a and warmer, achira can be left in the ground as a genuine perennial, with rhizomes growing progressively larger over multiple years. Elsewhere, dig and replant the rhizome annually, which still performs reasonably well down to about zone 6.
Achira has no well-established companion pairings, and nothing it needs to be kept away from. In the Garden Designer, give it a tall, sheltered footprint rather than an exposed spot.
Source: Achira (Canna edulis), Cultivariable.
Companion planting guide for Achira · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 6-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Mature height: 4-8 ft
Method: Either: Start indoors for an earlier harvest, or direct-sow outside for less fuss. Either works.
When to plant achira, by zone
Every zone achira grows in. Pick your zone in the header and it will be highlighted here. Each zone links to its full page.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6a & 6b | Feb 28–Mar 7 | May 9–May 16 | Nov 5–Nov 12 |
| 7a & 7b | Feb 13–Feb 20 | Apr 24–May 1 | Oct 21–Oct 28 |
| 8a & 8b | Jan 28–Feb 4 | Apr 8–Apr 15 | Oct 5–Oct 12 |
| 9a & 9b | Dec 21–Dec 28 | Mar 1–Mar 8 | Aug 28–Sep 4 |
| 10a & 10b | Dec 5–Dec 12 | Feb 13–Feb 20 | Aug 12–Aug 19 |
| 11a & 11b | Nov 6–Nov 13 | Jan 15–Jan 22 | Jul 14–Jul 21 |
Harvest dates are about 180 days after the sow or plant-out date, not after starting seeds indoors.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Achira plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: about 4 square feet per plant (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 4-8 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Achira: Cultivariable's growing guide describes the straight species; achira doesn't have a commercial history of named cultivars the way its ornamental canna relatives do. (source)
Why each variety is listed comes from the source shown next to it. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement. The buy links are separate from those sources: they go to seed suppliers that sell that exact variety, and we may earn a commission on some of them.
Where to buy achira seeds
None of the seed suppliers we list carries achira seeds right now. A local garden center or a specialty seed house is the place to look.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a clear consensus of positive, independent reviews, or ones we bought and use ourselves. Each item on our gear page says which.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing achira" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
Pin this for later
Growing Achira: A rhizome crop related to the ornamental canna lily, grown for large, starchy rhizomes that can reach nearly 3 feet long on an established plant.
Save to Pinterest