Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunchokes
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting
Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunchokes
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- How many Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes to plant
- Growing conditions for Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes
- When to plant Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes
- How to plant Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes
- Watering, fertilizing, and pruning Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes
- Companion plantings for Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes
- How to harvest, store, and use Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes
Growing Jerusalem Artichokes
Jerusalem artichokes are a warm-season tuberous perennial root vegetable and a close relative of sunflowers. Bushy, spreading plants, 6–10 ft. (1.8–3 m) tall, topped with yellow-rayed flowers with golden centers, bear a tuber similar in appearance to a potato but flavored like a water chestnut.
Jerusalem artichoke blooms resemble yellow sunflowers, and the name Jerusalem artichoke likely derives from English corruption of the name for sunflower in Italian, girasole.
Jerusalem Artichoke Plant and Care Guide
How Much to Plant
Allow 2–3 plants per household member.
How to Plant
Tubers emerge in 10-14 days. Average Climates: Plant tubers in full sun in spring when soil warms to 50–85°F (10–29°C). Mild-Winter Climates: Plant tubers in late winter. Set tubers 4–6 in. (10–15 cm) deep, 2 ft. (60 cm) apart, in rows 36–40 in. (90–102 cm) apart, installing edge boards or root-guard barriers, at least 2 ft. (60 cm) deep, to prevent roots from spreading beyond the bed.
Best Conditions for Growth
Growing temperature: 65–90°F (18–32°C). Zones 4–11. Tolerates hard freezes when protected under a thick layer of mulch.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy loam. Fertility: Rich. 5.8–6.2 pH. Prepare soil at least 2 ft. (60 cm) deep.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist. Fertilize annually in spring with 5–10–10 formula or well-rotted manure. Mulch in winter, zones 4–7. Avoid deep cultivation that could cut the shallow, widespread tubers, 8–16 in. (20–40 cm) from the stalk, beneath the outer edge of the foliage. When leaves turn yellow in autumn, lodge or cut stalks to 3 in. (75 mm) above soil, or lift several tubers as seed stalk, and store them over winter packed in loose, damp sawdust, placed in a cool, dry location. Carefully remove all tubers from soil to prevent volunteer shoots from sprouting. Pest and disease resistant.
Pairing Recommendations
Corn, peanuts, and rhubarb.
Maturity, Picking and Gathering
110–150 days. Lift tubers with a garden fork when flowers fade and they are 3–4 in. (75–100 mm) wide. Best flavor when harvested after light frost.
How to Store and Preserve
Best if eaten fresh or preserved immediately after harvest. Store fresh in vegetable keeper of refrigerator for 2–3 weeks; in damp sawdust in a dark, cool location, 6 months; in ground, throughout winter. Lacking starches that turn to sugar during digestion because they contain a complex carbohydrate, inulin, they are an excellent alternative to rice and potatoes for diabetics. They are prized raw, peeled and sliced in salads and sprinkled on pizza. Sliced and dehydrated, they can be eaten as chips or crisps, or milled into flour to make pasta. Grill, bake, or roast them into vegetarian entrees or side dishes. As ornamental plantings, they also provide effective and attractive windbreaks.