Ideas for community gardens < water crops

Crunchy water chestnuts ready to eat.

Water chestnuts growing in a container. The hollow leaves of water chestnut die off when the rhizome is ready to harvest.

WATER CHESTNUT

Botanic name

• Eleocharis dulcis

Growth form

• a rhizome producing hollow stems to 100 centimetres in length
• rhizome growing to around four centimetres long by 2.5 centimetres diameter

Edible part

• rhizome peeled and cooked

Cultivation

Propagation:

• from rhizome

Growing

• plant rhizomes in planting mix around 50centimetres apart
• flood container to five or so centimetres above surface of growing mix
• monitor and maintain water level through the growing period

Harvesting:

The rhizomes are ready to harvest when the foliage dies

• remove plant and growing mix from container
• separate out the rhizomes from the growing mix - some gardeners empty the container then use a hose to wash the growing mix from the corms
• place the used growing mix in your compost system
• save the best rhizomes for replanting

Centre of diversity

• Asia, where water chestnut is a commercial crop and is widely used in cooking.

PAGE UPDATED... Thursday, 17 January 2002