Growing Taro, Also Known as Elephant Ears or Colocasia

In March I purchased a few taro corms in an Asian supermarket when I made my annual trek to purchase the lemongrass and ginger. I potted them up in small containers with drainage holes, watered and put them in the living room. The warmth of the home and the water encouraged them to sprout. Now that it is the end of May, it is time to plant them outside.

Also known as elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta), taro produces large, 1 to 2 feet long leaves, similar to an elephant’s ear. The entire plant will reach about 2 to 3 feet tall. This one will have green foliage but there are Colocasia cultivars with beautifully colored foliage.

Colocasia plants are tender herbaceous perennials native to Asia. The “root” is called a corm and is used as a food source, much in the same way we use potatoes. The leaves and stems are edible too but nothing should be eaten raw. This plant must be cooked first. The taro was being sold at the Asian supermarket as food but for a few dollars I purchased them to use as ornamental foliage for my garden.

These plants add a touch of the “tropics” and perform well in our hot and humid summers. They prefer part shade or filtered sun and rich, moist but well-drained soil. You can plant them in a large container, as a backdrop in an ornamental garden, or as a specimen plant. You can also “color” them up a bit by planting with other shade tolerant, colorful foliage plants such as caladiums.

Hardy to Zone 8, they may or may not survive in my Zone 7 Virginia garden. Lately we have had mild winters so there is a 50/50 chance. When the growing season ends, I can either dig up and save the corms to plant next year, or I can leave the plant as is and just wait to see if it comes back. If not, I can always purchase more corms.

Try growing taro in your garden. This is also a good kid project. For just a few dollars, they can plant the corm and learn about botany, gardening, and food staples from other countries.