Has anyone tried growing Jerusalem Artichokes

[ian cameron dromore]

I like the idea of have a temporary 6ft to 10ft windbreak that gives me something back at the end of season.

Are they easy to grow?
What soil conditions is best?
What do they taste like?
How can I propagate them?
and any other ideas and tips...

[japple]

1. The flowers are beautiful (IMHO). They look similar to native sunflowers.

Last edited Sun Feb 28, 2016, 10:36 PM - Edit history (1)

Taste is a matter of preference. They kind of remind me of a water chestnut in texture with a slight medicinal taste that my sister refers to as kerosene! My sister-in-law always made artichoke relish with them, but we didn't have enough chokes for that. I guess they vary in size, but the ones we had never got much larger than a small potato. They were gnarly and hard to peel. I don't think they are picky about where they grow but they would probably do much better in something other than Georgia red clay soil. We just like the beautiful flowers that grow in one corner of our garden.

[TuxedoKat]

2. My neighbor has some

Last edited Fri Mar 4, 2016, 11:12 PM - Edit history (1)

He gave me some bulbs which the squirrels dug up and ate. They grow and spread very well. He doesn't do anything special with/for them.

[NickB79]

3. Mine grow like weeds

A fist-sized tuber produces an 8 ft tall plant by late August. Very impressed with the rapid growth of my batch (the fact they are downstream of the chicken coop probably help with fertilization).

We have black, loamy soil with a bit of clay, but I've seen them grow at my dad's farm in heavier soils than ours.

I haven't eaten any tubers, but my dad did, and he said they tasted OK, a lot like water chestnuts. One problem: he had BAD gas issues after eating them, which is common due to the inulin content.

Propagation is simple: dig up the tubers and snap them into potato-sized pieces in fall, then plant where you want them to grow.

[wiggs]

4. don't know where you are but I've done them in a couple of places

in southern cal.

It's on hipster restaurant menus...easy to make chips or a puree. Nutty flavor. Good for once in a while.

Pretty, tall plants with sunflower-type bloom. Easy and fun to grow...they are tough and can be invasive as they spread by underground tubers...any little piece left in the ground will grow a plant. So if you can dedicate a fair amount of room, out of the wind, in the background, to a bed of sunchokes, go ahead. Otherwise, start with planting 1 to 3 tubers in a 15 gallon can. They'll grow happily and when the tops die back (best in late fall here), simply dump the container over and harvest all the tubers, saving a couple for spring planting again.

[libodem]

5. Super invasive

My friends grew them and they tookover the garden.

They are pretty bland and cellulosey, like a water chestnut or jimaca? (sp) himmicka.