Do pray tell, when do I pull up my JA?

[mrdinkle]

A kind grape sent me some Jerusalem artichoke tubers and I planted them and they grew and then they grew some more.

Anyhow, when do I know they are ready? The plants are like almost as tall as me and I ain't no dwarf. They not flowered yet.

[di]

they can grow up to 10ft,don't know if any flower,ours never have.lift them in the autumn,making sure you get every bit of tuber(unless like us you dont mind them springing up again next year!)the one thing i find is that they dont store very well,so as with parsnips,harvest as you need,or if frost forecast & you want a few up i think you can store them in sand.

[mrdinkle]

thanks, I shall take your advice.

[Alice]

They're grown for a winter crop MrDinkle. Leave them where they are - they do get very big. At the back end of the year the foliage dies down and they're ready, but you don't have to lift them all. Leave them in the ground and lift them as you want them. If you miss any (and you will) they'll regrow.

[terrier]

The only thing I remember about JA's is that if you lift and eat them too soon, they are a very unsociable veg . Leave 'till the foliage dies back.

[Flummery]

I usually leave mine till after Christmas. It's good to have a bit of variety in the veg line when most things seem to be greens of one sort or another. I lift the last in March and re-plant.

[jojo_nature]

I put my j a in a big pot without reading up on them much, but after seeing they can get so big im thinking i should put them in the ground.Can they be grown in pot's ?

[Flummery]

With difficulty - they need lots of root room and have a tendency to blow over. I'd dig a big hole and plant them in the ground.