Mon 5 Jan 2009
Plant tubers of this perennial in spring or fall. Foliage dies back in winter, regrows the following spring.You plunk the tubers into the ground as soon as soil is workable in spring (or in late fall). When the weather gets warm, up sprout spring plants that reach 6 feet or more. Yellow flowers bloom in late summer. Around November when leaves begin to die, you dig up big clumps of tubers to eat. They are crisp and sweet. Use them cooked or raw, somewhat like water chestnuts or new potatoes.
How to plant
Plant the tubers (or chunks with 2 or 3 eyes) 10 to 18 inches apart and 2 to 4 inches deep.
Care
Jerusalem artichokes aren’t fussy about poor soil or scarce water (although they do best with reasonably rich soil and regular watering), but be sure to give them full sun. Choose firm, plump tubers from a grocery store
Harvesting
You may dig up plants with over 10 pounds of tubers each. This is delightful as long as you keep up with the harvest. If you want to prevent them from taking over your yard, it’s wise to dig up excess tubers each spring. After being harvested in the fall, tubers dry out quickly, so store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in a cool place embedded in moist sand or sawdust. Better yet, dig only the amount you can use at one meal. They taste best immediately after harvest.
In containers
The plant’s spreading habit makes it impractical for containers. These tubers are a lazy gardener’s dream plant-big crop for little effort. In food markets these tubers are relatively uncommon, but in a garden they grow and multiply like weeds.
