Numpty Question about JA's

[Greenleaves]

Might be a stupid question but.....

Is it viable to grow JA's in containers? I have heard and read that they spread like bu##ery so want to contain them. My concern is about the height they grow in relation to the container base.


Thank you

[Small pumpkin]

I've a bigger numpty question! What are JAs?

[Greenleaves]

Jerusalem Artichokes

[veggiechicken]

Is this a wind-up?

[Small pumpkin]

Thanks I don't always get abbreviations, being a bit thick
Now I know what you're on about, sorry can't help. Never grown them

[Greenleaves]

I can't trump that

But serious question none the less

[noviceveggrower]

I was given some by a kind Vine member. Mine were grown in a tub about 3ft wide and about 3ft tall. They grew to a height of about say 6 to 7ft. Did a mixture of compost and allotment soil.
Got a crop of about 1.7kg off them.
There were loads right down the bottom on the tub which surprised me how far they had got down. I just made sure they were well watered in summer.

[Zelenina]

I planted one in a flower bucket about 9 inches tall and the same across, filled with general purpose compost. It grew a single stem with leaves, about 3 feet tall, and then died off in the winter. It never looked very vigorous so I wasn't expecting to find much underneath when I tipped out the pot, but it actually had three nice tubers. It's a purple-skinned type that I got in a market in Germany. I expect it would have done better in a bigger container, or out in the garden. But it looks as if it could be a plant that adapts it's growth to the space available.

[spamvindaloo]

Mine were in the ground. The tubers went quite deep which would be a problem for you unless you use something like a dustbin. The stems reached about 7' high and some were approx 2" diameter. The stems needed to be corralled in to stop them flopping outside the bed so I think even a dustbin would be top heavy.

Two solutions I can think of.... You could tie them in like a raspberry cane if you could string some wire behind your container.... The other solution is to cut them off at about 4'. I have read somewhere that you can do this but I've not tried it so perhaps somebody who has will post. I think you'd probably get at least two in a plastic dustbin, perhaps stagger the heights. Potty would know if he's ever grown them.

I'm definitely a convert though, grew one bed (8' x 2') last year and have already allocated an extra bed for this year so I can grow twice as much

[Chippy Minton]

We grew some in a potato barrel. Conclusions were:

• It worked, we got a crop
• Pot needs to be deep simply to have enough weight to stop is being blown over (7' tall plants in a pot is, as mentioned above, very top heavy and prone to wind rock)
• It prevents the blighters "volunteering" next year