Growing Mauka: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 10, 2026
Mauka is a rare Andean root crop, related to the four o’clock flower, that stayed completely unknown to science until the 1960s despite having been domesticated for thousands of years. It’s grown for dense, cabbagey-flavored roots that are always eaten cooked, never raw.
More flexible than its Andean relatives
Unlike oca and mashua, mauka doesn’t need short days to form roots, so it can be started at any time of year given at least 4 months of growth. That makes it a far more flexible pick than its short-day Andean cousins, and lets it be grown successfully as an annual well outside the range where it survives winter.
A big plant that needs room
Start seed indoors about 6 weeks before the last frost, surface-sown since light aids germination, then transplant out after frost risk passes. Mauka grows into a big, sprawling plant, so give it real space, roughly 3 feet between plants in the row and 5 feet between rows.
Perennial where winters stay mild
In climates where the ground doesn’t freeze more than an inch deep, roughly USDA zone 8a and warmer, mauka can be left in place as a true perennial, protected over winter with a heavy mulch. Roots and lower stems grow substantially larger over several years than a single annual harvest produces, so a permanent planting in a mild-winter climate outperforms digging it clean every fall.
Mauka has no recorded companions or antagonists in our data. See the full companion guide for mauka for how it’s tracked. In the Garden Designer, give it a generous, sprawling footprint rather than treating it like a compact root crop.
Source: Mauka (Mirabilis expansa), Cultivariable.
Companion planting guide for Mauka · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 6-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. Mauka needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Mauka plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: about 10 square feet per plant (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 2-4 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Mauka: Cultivariable sells mauka as the straight species, propagated from seed or root/stem caudices, since named cultivars aren't part of this crop's very limited commercial history. (source)
Cited from the source shown next to each variety. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement.
Where to buy mauka seeds
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 genuine consensus of positive, independent reviews. See the sources cited on each item.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing mauka" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Mauka: A rare Andean root crop unknown to science until the 1960s despite thousands of years of domestication, grown for dense, cabbagey-flavored roots eaten cooked.
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