Cassava
Cassava is a vegetable in the Euphorbiaceae family. It grows best in full sun with low to medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 8-11.
Varieties
1 · sorted by days to maturity▸Cassava
PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Tropical root (stem cuttings) (not in original seed catalog). Use: Starchy storage root staple. Note: Raw roots/leaves are toxic (cyanogenic) - MUST be peeled and thoroughly cooked.
Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a tropical woody shrub grown from stem cuttings for its large starchy roots. Drought-tolerant, but raw roots and leaves are toxic and must be cooked.
Growing notes: Botanical name: Manihot esculenta|Hardiness zones: 8-11|Propagation: stem cuttings|Light: Full sun|Water: Low to medium|Mature size: 6-12 feet
Plan your cassava planting
Add cassava to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Most keep best refrigerated; storage crops prefer a cool, dry spot.
- Freeze: Blanch briefly, cool, then freeze — keeps color and texture.
- Can: Pressure-can low-acid vegetables; water-bath only pickled/acidified ones.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Care & troubleshooting
No curated care & troubleshooting advice for cassava yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.