Jerusalem artichoke

[sammy_roser]

Hi guys.

I have never tried jerusalem artichokes before but I've heard how easy they are to grow and want to give them a try. Had a quick browse around the forums but threads seem a few years old so I may be repeating.

First question. Which variety. As I know nothing about this I'm looking for recommendations from actual growers rather then websites.

Second question. How to get the tubers. I hear you throw one in a hole and get a good crop so I may only need one but where is best to buy? Or is it best to find a genuios grower who will give me one.

Third and final question. Bedt conditions to grow them in. I'm guessing my waterlogged soil would be no good so will be looking at digging out a lot of clay and putting back all sorts of good things. Will this allow the veg to grow?

Any tips, pictures or useful threads would be appreciated.

[LillyRoseGarden]

Hi, Sammy!

1. I grow Fusea variety this year as tubers are a bit smoother than other nobly varieties, they are already in the ground.

2. Thompson and Morgan sells some varieties
Thompson-Morgan - Search Results for jerusalem artichoke tubers

but I bought mine fresh from ebay as I only needed 5 tubers this year. Tubers arrived on time and fresh from the ground.

3. Artichokes tolerate bad (but not waterlogged) soil, for good crop I just use general compost 80% mixed with a stone/clay soil 20% I have and grow in a sunny/slightly shady position. As they grow high, please make sure they don't shade your other sun-loving plants.

[Two_Sheds]

threads seem a few years old

It doesn't mean they aren't relevant.
The old threads are FULL of brilliant information, they are a great resource to use.

[kathycam]

If you've not tried them before, it may be a a good idea to eat some first, to see if they agree with you. People don't call them Jerusalem fartichokes for nothing!

[Bren In Pots]

Alys Fowler says if you add Winter savoury to JA's when you're cooking them it's supposed to stop the wind problem, I've tried it and it seems to work.

[sir david]

The trouble is not growing them but getting them to stop . Tried them did not like the taste , spent the next couple of years digging them out .
Good to feed to pigs

David

[Piggle]

I like em baked - they go all squishy and stick to the pan. Yum.

[Veggieman]

A great veg to grow, they are great roasted with garlic and black pepper.
In a good soil these will give a great crop and will probably be fine in your damp soil.
Fuseau is the one to go for for ease of preparation as its the smoothest tuber, but i grow Gerard which i think has a better flavour, but is really knobbly. It has a great pink colour to the tubers too.
You can plant any tuber you can find, either from another grower or a supermarket. They will all grow without any trouble.
I do find they are quite late appearing in the spring, so dont panic if it takes a while for them to appear.

[Likac66]

What do they taste like?

[Mr Bones]

What do they taste like?

Slightly smokey and nutty when roasted in their skins and just like a water chestnut when raw or hardly cooked.

[Linzy]

Ive got a bag my brother gave me last year (he works at an organic walled kitchen garden so i get lots of free goodies) The plan is to stick in a row couple feet from my rhubarb as i thought there will be rhubarb one side strawberries the other and both of them dont mind abit of dappled shade

[chris]

dappled shade!

I suppose if the row is 1 tuber wide, maybe.. they create a 7' odd wall of foliage

One chap on my allotment site has some he can never be bothered to dig out, crickey. The "wall" is now wider than my arms can reach and at least 7' high - when in full growth!

[sammy_roser]

It doesn't mean they aren't relevant.
The old threads are FULL of brilliant information, they are a great resource to use.

This is what I get for typing on my phone, I think the whole sentence but only type half of it. I meant stockists may not be relevant as threads are a few years old all the other information is good.

Thanks everyone for your feedback