Jerusalem Artichokes Question need help

[RidgebackRanch]

I want to pot up some Jerusalem Artichoke tubers for a friend of mine to sell at their farmers market. I just dug up a few of the plants and was surprised at the size of the tubers.

Some of them are as big as a softball and some are just indivdual pieces the size of a golf ball.

Would it be ok to break up the larger pieces and plant those or use the smaller pieces? I am using 1 gallon size nursery pots, I am thinking they should be planted about halfway down in the pot. What do you think?

Any info would be greatly appreciated! I am very excited to make an even big bed for them this year, they are so tasty and how cool is it to be harvesting something fresh to eat when only a few perennial herbs are poking up!

 

[thistlebloom]

Plant the 'chokes about 3 -4 inches deep, and I think they'll be fine if
you break them at natural joints, where the big tuber has kind of branched out.

 

[RidgebackRanch]

Thanks for the advice! I only did 10 containers and had leftovers to do another 30!
We are going to need a lot more containers. I really hope they grow, we are very excited about spreading around some of the bounty and this seems like a good item to get in the hands of people new to gardening.

Also I couldn't help but dig up 2 rhubarb volunteers from the parent plant. It was a great day to be outside and be productive no matter what got done. What a great day!

 

[rebbetzin]

I was so surprised by how much the Sun Chokes/ Jerusalem Artichokes multiplied!! And I hear they are about impossible to get rid of once they are well established. But, why would anyone want to get rid of them?

A couple years ago I bought a three or four small tubers at a health food store. Came home and planted them in the garden. When the fall came and the flowers stalks all died back, I dug up the roots to see what I could see... And I had about 4 to 5 lbs of new tubers. I replanted most of those. The finches love them!!

I planted some next to the goat pen, it has been to cold for them to come up yet. But... I am hoping it will make a nice tall sunflower hedge alone the fence.

 

[hoodat]

Few plants are easier to grow and as Rebbetzin said the seed heads are big favorites wirh birds. They are a native American plant and grow wild pretty much throughout the midwest. They have few serious pests. The only ones I had trouble with are wireworms which tunnel through the tubers. They don't kill them but the tunnels sometimes have to be trimmed out before they are eaten. You can eat them raw, lightly steamed or added at the last minute into stir fries, soups and stews. They don't need to be peeled; just scrub the dirt off with a fairly stiff vegetable brush.

 

[wsmoak]

You can eat them raw, lightly steamed or added at the last minute into stir fries, soups and stews.

Does anyone else make a relish with them? We have an old recipe from my husband's grandma (and probably handed down before that) for artichoke relish.

I would say, if you're going to sell them, include a little pamphlet with planting instructions and a picture. Someone who buys it thinking they are getting a 'normal' artichoke is going to be quite puzzled!

-Wendy

 

[RidgebackRanch]

I would say, if you're going to sell them, include a little pamphlet with planting instructions and a picture. Someone who buys it thinking they are getting a 'normal' artichoke is going to be quite puzzled!

You are spot on with that idea, i was just thinking about that today. I don't ever see them for sale at garden centers here and most people I talk to have never even heard of them. I think a little info would go a long way and make their experience with them as rewarding as mine. I just love plants that are beautiful, require little care and give you back to you so much bounty!

Thanks for the input:coolsun

 

[mrsengeseth]

sounds like a good idea. You'll let us know how they do at the Farmers Market?

I bought new tubers this season because, sigh, someone "helped" me weed. We have a wild multiheaded sunflower that looks a lot like a sunchoke, and before I could stop them, they had pulled up all the weeds and had been diligent and even got the roots into the shredder too. Ahem. I about had a meltdown. But now i have new stock and we;ll get those in the ground soon.

 

[RidgebackRanch]

Well now I'm up to 50 one gallon containers planted and I'm only half way through the 2'x3' bed. I'm going to plant the rest if DW can scam some more containers for me. The first ten that I planted already have green shoots poking up so I guess the way there were planted is going to work.

It is hard to believe that this all started from one plant, then nine small chunks of tubers. What I am digging up now are nearly softball sized and very tasty. I really want to get gardeners interested in something that requires little care and will provide something fresh to eat that can be dug up all winter whenever the mood strikes.

 

[thistlebloom]

Hey Ridgeback, could you share how you prepare them? I have a ton and nobody really went for them( including me, and I have that peculiar "I-grew-this isn't-it delicious" mentality).