jerusalem artichokes?

[Deberosa]

Anyone know where to buy these? Do the ones in the store grow?

These sound like a great source of food with little effort - either for humans or livestock so I would like to start a patch of them here but googled and couldn't find any for sale. Do they go by a different name maybe?

All that and they are pretty too!

[AlchemyAcres]

Sometimes called sunchokes.

The ones from the store will grow.
I've also ordered them from Ronniger's and Moose Tubers, in the past.

http://www.ronnigers.com/

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/moose.htm


~Martin :)

[Deberosa]

Well bummer - sold out until November.

Martin - would I wait till spring to plant them or could they be planted in November around here?

Thanks!

Debbie

[AlchemyAcres]

You can plant them in the fall...but I've always planted mine in the spring.


~Martin

[documania]

I got my starter tubers on eBay last spring, and am now drowning in Jerusalem artichokes! They are shockingly huge and prolific. Yes, they could probably make a dent in world hunger. If I could figure out how to package them, I could send some tubers to anyone interested in the spring.

[rockymtngirl]

Hi Documania -

Will these grow only in temperate climate? I always thought that they have a long time to maturity - like 6 months? Have never tried them here in Denver as our growing season is usually 5 months at best. Do they winter over?

[documania]

Will these grow only in temperate climate? I always thought that they have a long time to maturity - like 6 months? Have never tried them here in Denver as our growing season is usually 5 months at best. Do they winter over?

Don't know yet how they fare in winter -- I'm on my first cycle with them. I live at 1200 feet in Vermont, zone 3 conditions, and put them in last May. Planted a dozen in different places around the yard to see which conditions they like best. Answer: All of them!

I had to transplant any that were in a garden bed (vs. randomly stuck in a corner of the yard) because they grew and spread so prolifically. As I transplated, they left behind more than a dozen tubers each, with several dozen hanging off the bottom of each plant going into the new location. Each plant grew 5-8 feet high with a little sunflower on top -- looked kinda like Jack-and-the-beanstalk plants with propeller heads. : )

In my readings, I've seen that they'll grow darn near anywhere but start to struggle as things get hotter and dryer. A reason I tried them is because (1) their starch is OK for diabetics and (2) they are supposed to prefer cooler climates and winter well. I gave them virtually no care and ended up with way more than I could eat or give away, and that was just from the fall-out of the transplants, not from an intentional harvest!

Caution: Although they can be eaten in most any form (treat like potatoes and/or water chestnuts), they are prone to making one gassy. So large quantities can get a bit, um, unpleasant . . .