If you are looking for an easy to grow vegetable that comes back year after year and is a minimum effort when it comes to storing for winter then learning how to grow Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes might be what you are looking for.
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What are Jerusalem Artichokes?
Also known as sunchokes here in the USA, the Jerusalem artichoke is a relative of the sunflower and a native plant of North America.
The plants can reach 6 ft tall or more and have many pretty yellow flowers that appear in late summer.
The roots or tubers are the part that is eaten and are high in inulin, a type of dietary fiber that can cause gas in some individuals given these vegetables the rather inelegant nickname of fartichokes.
Add them to your diet slowly and maybe avoid having them when you have a hot date lined up or a job interview to avoid discomfort or embarrassment.
Jerusalem artichokes are also grown as a productive windbreak and helping to prevent soil erosion. They are a popular choice for many permaculture designers since they offer so many functions in the garden and ecosystem including providing late-season food for bees. You might even find birds nesting in them if you have a big patch!
The plants are highly prolific, one tuber can produce 15 to 20 more tubers! This means they are a great staple for self-sufficient homesteaders and gardeners looking for more low maintenance perennials in their resilient garden.
Jerusalem Artichoke Growing Zones
Jerusalem artichokes grow in a variety of different zones. They are a perennial plant in zones 3 to 8. They much prefer a cooler temperature and are not normally recommended to grow in zones higher than zone 8.
In my zone 7 garden, Jerusalem artichokes grow year after year sending up tall flowering stalks and yellow flowers like sunflowers which the bees and other local pollinators love. I even leave the tubers in the garden box over winter and harvest as needed,
How to Grow Jerusalem Artichokes
To grow sunchokes you start from a tuber which is the knobbly nuggets found in the ground. I grew mine from a sunchoke I bought at the grocery store. Check out the grocery stores with a large selection of organic or seasonal produce and you might be lucky to pick some up there,
Not available at the grocery store? No problem! You can order online from:
Where to Plant Jerusalem Artichokes
Sunchokes grow well in full sun like their sunflower cousins. Avoid planting them in wet or boggy areas which will rot the tubers in the ground.
Avoid planting them in a location that will shade out your other plants growing. Put them in an area away from your other fruits and veggies if you can.
How to Plant Jerusalem Artichokes
Planting in early spring is ideal and they can be planted as soon as the ground or soil can be worked.
These plants can spread and get invasive (and difficult to get rid of) when planted directly into the ground, so it is best to contain them. You can sink a barrier into the ground like a trash can without the bottom or a large pot. The barrier needs to be at least 24 inches (60 cm) deep to stop the tubers from spreading.
If growing in containers, the container will need to be heavy to support the weight of the towering stalks and protected if in a windy area.
I grow them in a perennial vegetable dedicated garden box with strawberries and sorrel but I’ve seen innovative gardeners growing them in car tires on allotments and community gardens to keep them from getting out of hand.
Add plenty of well-rotted homemade compost to the growing space before planting. Dig in the compost to loosen the soil, sunchokes grow well in loose, well-draining soil.
Plant the tubers about 15 inches (38 cm) apart and 4-6 inches deep. The more space the tubers have, the bigger they will get.
Add an inch of compost or organic-based mulch to reduce weeds and feed the soil whilst they get established. Mulch also helps protect tubers from frost.
Water your tubers in well after planting.
Caring for Sunchokes
These veggies pretty much take care of themselves once they are established. Whilst they are just starting out, keep the growing area free from weeds. Organic mulches like straw are a good low maintenance option for busy gardeners.
Water your Jerusalem artichokes deeply at least once a week. They need about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water a week to help tubers form.
Since the stalks can get so tall they can be prone to being knocked down in wind storms, you can stake or tie the stalks to help give them more stability.
Feed your plants about once a month with a natural liquid fertilizer or compost tea.
The plants are ready for harvest at about 110 – 120 days after planting, usually in fall and taste better after a frost.
How to Harvest Sunchokes
Since it is the knobbly tubers we eat, you will need to get to those and dig them out (or tip the pot upside down if you have grown them in a pot or container).
The best way I’ve found to get the sunchokes out the ground is to use a garden fork
Sunchokes have thin outer skins and they are prone to shriveling up and drying out so it is best to leave them in the ground until you are ready to harvest them. You can store them in the fridge in vented containers or plastic bags with a few holes in them. You can also freeze the tubers for longer storage.
Seed Saving / Growing Again
Jerusalem Artichokes grow best by propagating the tubers. Grow the smaller tubers the following season by leaving them in the ground to grow again or store them by placing them in a bucket of damp soil somewhere cool and damp.
If you are leaving them in the ground over winter, mulch the area heavily to help protect the area from freezing solid or lift the tubers in fall and store them in damp soil.
How to Eat Jerusalem Artichokes
There are many recipes online to use Jerusalem Artichokes in the kitchen. Our favorite way is with a warm salad since sunchokes roast beautifully in a cast-iron Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet
Sunchokes turn a grey-brown color if left out for too long, like how apples and pears turn brown. try adding a dash of vinegar or lemon juice to a bowl of cold water and place the cut tubers in the water whilst you are preparing your meal.
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