Taro
colocasia esculenta

days to maturity: 200 days
plant spacing: 1 plant per 2 square feet
sunlight requirement: 6 - 14 hours
look out for: lookalikes that aren’t edible
harvest notes: harvest leaves anytime, pull whole plant for root harvest
season: summer


Taro, also know as kalo, “potato of the tropics,” or “elephant ears,” is an ancient aroid food crop grown throughout the tropics and subtropics. Believed to have originated in South East Asia, this wetland herba- ceous perennial produces big heart shaped leaves and a starchy corm. Although grown commercially in many areas of the Pacific Basin, it is mostly a backyard crop, usually planted in small plots near homes. Taro can grow in a wide range of well drained soil in high rainfall areas or saturated for prolonged periods. The most important food throughout the Hawaiian Islands, the mature root is boiled as a starchy vegetable and to make poi. The leaves are high in minerals and vitamins A, B, and C and prepared like mustard or turnip greens, called callaloo. Local chef Niven Patel (pictured) grows taro in his Redland backyard farm so he can use the leaves in his traditional indian restaurant Ghee.