NEVER harvest before the tops have died and thoroughly dried. Like potatoes, the tubers are at their best size and flavor when the nutrients from the tops have drained into the tubers. Harvest when the tops are green and you lose so much.
@@edjo3430I cut some for my wife. She loves them in vases plus they have a nice chocolate smell. Some years I cut, clean and boil whole flowers for broth and make wine. As for the claims of improving yield, one year I deadheaded one small patch to see it made any difference. I didn't notice any difference from the deadheaded patch to the others.
I'm surprised no one shared a major bonus about Jerusalem artichokes. They're one of the absolute best natural pesticides for almost all garden pests. Basically you cut up and boil a bunch of the tubers (you want to make a concentrate of the liquid you're extracting from them so not a whole lot of water) and let steep a couple hours or overnight. Then you can bottle that and save for a year or more. Everytime you want to spray for pests, just add about an ounce or so to a gallon sprayer and go for it! This will also work with herbs, onion, garlic, etc but Jerusalem artichokes are the absolute best option. Check out a channel called Garden Like A Viking and KNF (Korean Natural Farming) info you can find online. Loads of helpful info!
Judy, I fully agree, they must be dug up yearly. As I mention in another of your videos, I stated a 60' row with 25 small tubers and in the last 3 years by not digging them up I ended up with thick clumps of 1000's. Had people come and help did som last year and this year but they still kept popping up. I want to re-purpose that garden bed so Our Creator showed me a sign as to when to dig them up so they will not grow back. Lat Spring into early summer the tuber rot out as the new plant grow. Once rotten and before the new root begin to set new tuber if you get them out after a rain, then there is not much left to re-grow. Perhaps a straggler here and there which can be dug out. Many Blessings to you and I hope this may helps someone who wants to move their Jerusalem Artichokes and re-purpose a garden bed.
I had three varieties. One of them grew 12'+ tall with a tuber spread of well over 4'. They were invasive, hard to keep contained. They also had an obnoxiously strong herbal-turnipy flavor. One tuber chunked into a large pot of stew was more than enough to flavor the whole pot. That little bit was also enough to make a stink in the kitchen. I decided to get rid of them and began mowing on the smooth ground and pulling them in the rough ground. It took until late summer for the sprouts to give up, but the entire patch is gone now. One other deal, in established patches a few years old, you'll notice that grasses and weeds either don't grow or are stunted. They are allelopathic, retarding the germination and spreading of several types of plants. Do not use the tops as mulch except in the patches they come out of, they can negatively affect many garden plants. You also shouldn't mix varieties as the stronger one will stunt the weaker ones. I have Day Lilies and Daffodils mixed in which aren't affected and wild strawberries creep into another patch with no ill effects so not all plants are stunted. Lambsquarter, which normally grows to 5'+ barely makes it to 18" on the edge of the Sunchoke patches. It has taken over three years for the allelopathic effects to leach out or decay.
I plan on pickling them. I started in 2023 with one plant. In 2024 i should have tons. I planted them because they are filled with inulin rather than starch. So they are awesome for diabetics. I will slowly get my tummy used to them, but I've heard that pickling them takes the farts away so I'll try that first.
I plant mine in rows only giving an inch of space between tubers, but rows are 6-8inches apart. We get these massive clusters and huge tubers. We also wait for a decent amount of leaves to start dying. Chickens enjoy the greens.
They're fine being left in the ground into winter. Let them get exposed to frost in the ground and they're better still. You can harvest as needed rather than having to deal with storage.
I got a few dozen online and grew them for the first time this year. Most of them did very well with no care no water. I now have several large patches of them, I guess its about time to dig them up. Im in zone 9 SE Texas
Wild sunflower, also known as Sunchokes, (also as jerusalem artichoke due an ignorant mistake.) Are native to the U.S. native to where I live, and I grew up eating them. When I plan on turning one of my fields to fallow, I'll plant it with sunchokes. Im lazy, so when I'm ready to work that field, I'll let my pigs and goats in from January til spring. They'll go crazy and plow the living heck out of it. My goats will also rip out and knock down and rip the plants out too to get at the tubers as well. And together they'll churn the entire field and mix in the biomatter for me. Ironically, sunchokes do best in poor soil! I use a couple planting methods. a 2-3 foot spacing in rows, or I'll do clump planting IF the soil is loose. As an example, just like potato and carrots, In loose soil, they will grow huge, good looking tubers. In clay/rocky/compacted soils, they have a difficult time. Do not burn the crop residue! Turn it under! Plow/rototill it in to improve soil characteristics! It's basically free compost soil amendment. Remember that for every pound of plant matter to take from the soil, you must replace it, and that includes crop residue! By burning it, your depriving the soil of the nutrients and biomatter it holds. You can also throw it into a chipper and make mulch from it as well.
I'm in northern Michigan and I raise my hand guilty as charged for not thinning. When they're that small it makes getting all of them even more difficult. I've had stalks 2 inches in diameter and 13 feet high!
Jerusalem Artichokes are not artichokes at all and they’re not from Jerusalem. They’re in the sunflower family. Research it. I think you’ll find it interesting.
Thank you. I planted some recently and have more to plant...yours was the only video that mentions the space between them. How much apart would you suggest in planting them? 6 inches? A foot? Thanks ahead
These were harvested too early! You need to wait until they get several cool days or nights. This sweetens them up. You also want to wait until the plants die back! So the energy can go to finish growing the tubers! Y9u also do not need to harvest them till you are ready to use them. As the ground is the perfect storage spot for them.
I’m totally surprised that your animals were not interested in them. Other folks talk about the farm animals eating the Jerusalem Artichoke. Interesting?
We are on the borderline of zones 7 and 8. Our soil has a clay base and has been amended with organic matter over the years. Can't really advise on the water requirements. It seems soil should drain well and not totally dry out. Thank you for your interest.
WOW, look at those yields! I been seeing a lot of Sunchokes in my feed, guess I just gotta give it a try this fall and see what I get next year! Wonder if the voles will just destroy my harvest?
Since I don't know where you live, I can't recommend a local place to buy these, however, you could check with your local garden supply stores or plant nurseries. Also search online.
So, just to clarify. The tubers were smaller on the plants from the unharvested chokes compared to the ones that were spaced out. What about the yields, in addition to the smaller tubers did they also appear produce less overall? Did you notice any difference in above ground growth?
Sorry if my question comes across the wrong way. This is my first year growing them and and I got them in the ground late. My goal currently is proliferation for consequent years.
The yield was less on the plants that had not been thinned out, plus the tubers were smaller. The above ground growth was about the same height on both, very tall. The stem diameter was much larger on the plants that had been thinned out.
Either in containers or in their own dedicated plot where they can be contained by regular mowing much wider than what they spread. I had three varieties, one that spread well over 4', another that spreads a good 2' and one that clumps and barely spreads over 12" to 14" from the crown. If you put them in your regular garden, like horseradish or mint they will eventually rule your garden. If you grow them in containers, small, single containers must be close to the spread of the tubers of whatever variety you have with one seed tuber in the middle of the container. That's either a well bordered raised garden with a root barrier base or a good sized tub.
@UwharrieFarm I was raised Baptist and later Presbyterian. I have memorized my share of passages. As a teenager, I started having doubts about the Almighty. As I grew older and became more educated, I lost any faith that I was holding on to. I just don't believe that there is any divine power governing over us. I actually remember the moment that I thought, "Nope, I'm not playing ball."
@@admobeer9551 I too was raised in a Christian environment and was very much a believer. Similar to you, when I became a teenager troubling questions started coming to my mind such as: where did the Bible come from? How do I know that Jesus really ever lived here? You see I was taught from the Bible but I wasn't taught why I could depend on the authenticity of the Bible. So, I began looking for answers. I am 72 years old and I have found so much support for the accuracy of the Bible in science, historical records, archaeology, fulfilled prophecy and the change it makes in people's lives. I suggest you start by researching Lee Strobel and Hugh Ross and their RU-vid videos. Lee Strobel was an atheist, investigative reporter who set out to disprove Christianity. He traveled far and wide interviewing experts on various aspects of Christianity in order to prove it false. The result - he became a Christian and today is a minister. Hugh Ross was raised as an atheist. As a youth he had an exceptional interest in cosmology, the study of the universe. Today, he is an astrophysicist and Christian apologist because of his scientific knowledge. I know there are many in higher education who try to ridicule Christianity but there are also many highly educated people who are believers. Follow Lee Strobel's story in "The Case for Christ", on RU-vid and see where it leads you. Investigate Hugh Ross and his life work on RU-vid and his website "Reasons to Believe" and see where that leads you. Spend significant time on this. It is too important to get it wrong. Best wishes.
I bought lots of them to eat and all of them tubers got like a red orange secretion inside, spots with this secretion, which feels like wax or glue. It sticks to teeth, to knife, to hands. I never saw this thing before. Any idea what this could be? Are they safe to eat? Please, if you got any idea, tell me.
I've only had experience with Jerusalem Artichokes for a couple of years. I never experienced anything like that. I would have concerns about the safety of eating them. They don't sound appealing anyway.
I've only grown them for 2 years. So I don't have a lot of experience. However, I think it would be fine to harvest them now. Also frost and freeze does not ruin the tubers. Mine kept fine all winter in the ground.
Ideally they could have been chopped up and used in a compost pile, however, at the time I didn't need material for a compost pile and they are a little coarser than material I usually use in my compost.
Thank you for your comment. I started my Channel with the idea of sharing what I have learned. That includes what is written in the Bible verse. I certainly respect your right to choose not to watch the video if that is your choice. I am curious as to why the verse is such a problem for you. Happy gardening.
