Family: Brassicaceae
Scientific name: Lepidium meyenii
Common name: Maca / Peruvian ginseng
Origin: Andes, Peru

The Maca is a biannual plant form Peru, where it grows at an altitude of 4000 meter in the Andes. Since 2000 B.C. the thick, belowground parts are eaten and applied medically. The Incas saw the plant as a stimulus for body and soil, and also believed it would increase fertility. The plant can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable, but can also be processed into powder, or fermented into beer. The dried powder is the largest export product, and can be used in smoothies, juices and lassis. The plant can grow up to 30 cm, and can be harvested in the second year. The plant is winterhardy up to -20 degC, and the plant prefers an acid soil (mixed with peat.

Sowing description: Sow inside at the end of the winter or in early spring in sowing mix. Seedlings can be transferred outside in the garden.

Sowing time: January-May
Difficulty: Easy
Minimum temperature: -20 degC