Growing Jicama

Jicama, also called yam bean, grows well on my farm. Originally from Mexico, this plant likes the long, warm Hawaiian growing season. It's grown for its tubers...NOT the beans, which are poisonous. In fact, the tubers are the only edible part of the plant. It grows as a vine and does well when supported by a fence, trellis, or even a bush or young tree. 

Above, a fairly young vine growing on a fence. 

A close up of a leaf. 

The flowers are a beautiful shade of blue. Under good conditions, the vine gets quite covered in flowers. Very, very pretty. 

Following the flowers are long pods full of beans. The beans contain rotenone, thus I am careful not to grow this over one of my fish ponds nor allow my puppy and livestock near the stuff. 

My current vines are not old enough to harvest the tubers, but I'll show you that when the time comes.