How to Grow Jerusalem Artichokes
Instruction & Advice for Growing Jersualem Artichoke Plants
in Your Vegetable Garden
| Nutrition | Watering Instructions | Harvesting |
| Climate | Fertilizing Instructions | Storage |
| Soil | Challenges | Tips |
| Planting |
Jerusalem artichoke is a colorful gardening addition, perfect to grow along your garden's border. It is a hardy perennial that’s a part of the sunflower family and is a native plant of North America. It’s grown for its edible tubers that look a little like potatoes.
They are slightly sweet, and can be substituted for potatoes in most recipes. The are tasty stir fried, steamed, sautee'd or roasted. They overcook and turn mushy very easily though, so you'll want to keep an eye on them and remove them from heat immediately when they're done. As with most vegetables and fruits, most of the nutrients are in the skin, so try to leave intact when preparing. Also, this is kind of an odd observation, but they seem to discolor more if cooked in an iron pan.
Gardening Advice Tip: Plan carefully where you want to grow this vegetable in your garden, as it can be a bit intrusive. Additionally, it can grow to 8 feet tall and may block needed sunlight to other parts of your garden, if not strategically placed.
Nutrition Information: (back to top)
Jerusalem artichoke provides:Thiamin, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium.
Climate & Growing Conditions: (back to top)
Jerusalem artichoke will grow in most garden climates. It prefers dry sunny locations, but will tolerate partial shade.
As they're a tall plant, you'll want to stake them to protect them from the wind.
How to Prepare the Garden Soil: (back to top)
You will have better growing results, if you prepare the garden bed before planting. Dig in (deeply) compost and well rotted manure, and add a little lime just before planting.
If you'd like to grow bigger tubers, make sure the soil this vegetable's garden bed is loose and deep. (Hard soil, beneath and around root crops restricts their growth.)
Keep the soil free from weeds.
How to Plant Jerusalem Artichoke: (back to top)
Plant tubers 5” deep with 24” between each. The rows should be 3 feet apart.
Jerusalem Artichoke shoots should appear in your garden bed within 4 weeks.
Gardening Advice Tip: To help this vegetable survive the winter (it will be dormant), cut the flower stalks off at the ground level. Then cover them with a healthy dose of mulch to help protect from freezing winter temperatures. In the spring, you can remove the mulch.
How to Water: (back to top)
Neither do you want the soil to dry up and get hard, nor do you want to over water. Try to keep the soil slightly moist.
Gardening Challenges: (back to top)
Jerusalem Artichoke can take over your vegetable (or flower) garden, if you don’t keep it contained.
Gardening Advice Tip: You may find that snails and slugs enjoy dining on the young shoots. Put out a saucer or shallow bowl filled with beer. The slugs won't be able to resist it & will drown themselves.
How to Harvest Jerusalem Artichoke: (back to top)
To improve the quality of the harvest, cut off the flower heads when they’re buds. Harvest the tubers in 4 or 5 months, after the leaves turn yellow. It’s best to leave them in the soil and dig up as needed.
If you don't want a crop of Jerusalem Artichokes growing in the same location next gardening season, be sure to clear every piece of root.
Harvest the remainder of the crop before the ground freezes.
If storing in the fridge, keep in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper.
Storage: How to freeze Jerusalem Artichoke (back to top)
Peel and slice Jerusalem Artichokes. Place in cold water with the juice of ½ lemon to prevent discoloration. Blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water and cool in iced water for 2 minutes. Drain and spread on tray in single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Pack into freezer bags, remove air, seal and label. Freeze Jerusalem Artichoke for up to 6 months.
Storage: Cold (back to top)
Dig all harvest up before the ground freezes. Store indoors in sand in your cellar. When the tubers start to grow, they turn black and are useless for cooking. However, you can save them for next season’s planting.
Gardening Advice Tips (back to top)
Have a helpful gardening tip (or even a fun story) to share about your jerusalem artichoke growing experience? Share it with us at: gardeningtips@howtogardenadvice.com
----------
Note: This page's content, unless specified otherwise on this page, belongs specifically to www.howtogardenadvice.com. Reciprocal links are certainly welcome. However, if you wish to use this content, as written, on your website - please be courteous, respectful and lawful... and ask permission first. Provided you 1) make it clear that the content came from this site, and 2) you leave the links back to my site within the page and 3) your site doesn't contain any profane or derogatory content, I'll likely approve your posting the content. Please email me first for approval at info@howtogardenadvice.com. Thank you.