How to grow Taro

Where to plant

Taro needs warmth, rich soil and steady moisture. It grows in wet, flooded paddies in Hawaii, and in upland gardens it needs constantly moist, rich soil and regular watering, in full sun or part shade.

Invasive warning: wild taro escaped from cultivation in Florida after it was introduced as a potato substitute in 1910, and it now forms dense stands along rivers, canals and marshes, crowding out native plants. It is listed as a Category I invasive by the Florida Invasive Species Council, and the UF/IFAS assessment does not recommend it anywhere in Florida. Never plant taro near streams, ponds, ditches or wetlands, and never dump unwanted plants or corms where they can reach water. Gulf Coast gardeners elsewhere should take the same care.

• Hawaii: grows year round, in paddies or moist upland gardens.
• Florida: see the invasive warning above. If you grow it, keep it in a contained bed or large pot well away from water. Plant from March to May; it needs about seven warm months, so early plantings yield best. Dig in October or November.
• Gulf South and Texas: plant once the soil warms in spring, in part shade with even moisture, and dig before frost or mulch heavily over winter.
• Southern and Northern California: plant from April into summer once the soil is warm and keep it wet through the dry summer; lift before frost.
• Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and Southern Plains: plant in May or June; corms stay small in this shorter season. Lift before the first frost.
• Northeast, Midwest, Northern Plains, Mountain West, Pacific Northwest, Desert Southwest and Alaska: the season is too short or too dry for corms; grow it as a summer foliage plant in a large pot if you like.

Choosing a variety

Buy named edible types, such as dasheen and Bun Long (a Chinese taro), from a tropical nursery or plant corms sold for eating. Ornamental elephant ears are not grown for food.

How to plant

1. Plant small corms, or tops with a short piece of corm and stem (called huli in Hawaii), about 2 to 3 inches deep.
2. Space plants about 2 to 3 feet apart in rich soil with plenty of compost.
3. Water in well and keep the soil constantly moist; taro does not tolerate drying out.
4. Mulch heavily to hold moisture and keep weeds down.

Watering and feeding

Keep the soil wet or constantly moist through the season. In dry weather that may mean daily watering. Pots can sit in a saucer of water.

Taro is a heavy feeder. Feed regularly with a balanced fertilizer or compost through the warm months.

Harvesting

Corms are ready about 7 to 11 months after planting, when the leaves begin to yellow and the plant declines. Dig the whole clump, separate the main corm from the smaller side corms, and keep a few tops to replant if you are growing it again. Wear gloves, as raw sap can irritate skin.

Store corms in a cool, dry place for a week or two. Do not refrigerate.

Growing in pots

A large pot, at least 20 inches wide and deep, standing in a tray of water suits taro well, and it keeps the plant contained, which matters in Florida and the Gulf states. Move it under cover before frost.

Using it

Never eat taro raw. All parts contain needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth and throat, which cooking breaks down. Boil, steam or bake the peeled corms thoroughly and use them like potatoes, in curries, or pounded into poi. Young leaves must also be cooked well, as in Hawaiian laulau or Caribbean callaloo.