Jerusalem artichoke: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you plant Jerusalem artichokes outdoors?
Establish Jerusalem artichokes by planting tubers rather than sowing seeds. In a temperate climate, this is generally done in late winter or spring when the soil is workable, neither frozen nor waterlogged. Choose sun or light partial shade in well-drained ground. Allow room for tall stems and expansion, taking account of shade cast over neighbouring crops.
Remove competing weeds and loosen the planting area. Mature compost may help depending on soil fertility; do not impose routine feeding or assume that every addition is unnecessary. Use firm, healthy tubers. If you divide a large tuber, retain at least one bud on each piece: length alone does not ensure that a piece can grow.
Plant about 10 to 15 cm deep, leaving 30 to 50 cm between plants according to the variety and layout. Allow about one metre between rows if you need walking access. Cover the tubers and water to settle soil around them, without leaving standing water. Mark the area so that you can later check for shoots appearing beyond the intended patch.
How should Jerusalem artichokes be harvested?
Start harvesting Jerusalem artichokes in late autumn, when foliage turns yellow and the tubers have developed. Adjust this guideline to variety and climate. In well-drained, workable ground, you can leave them through winter and lift them as needed. Frozen soil can prevent digging; insulating mulch may help access without guaranteeing that the ground remains soft.
Insert a garden fork away from the plant and lift the soil gently. Look for tubers around the base too, without piercing them. Harvest small quantities at a time: once lifted, they dry out faster than potatoes. Keeping them for several months in a dry place is not reliable advice.
For short-term storage, keep sound tubers cool and protected from drying, for example in suitable packaging in the refrigerator. Check their condition and use damaged ones promptly. If you want to stop growing the crop in that spot, search for remaining tubers and pieces, as these can produce new shoots. Save only a few healthy tubers if you intend to renew the planting. This separates the tubers you want to keep from those left accidentally.
Jerusalem artichoke
- Type : Perennial vegetables
- Subtype : Tuber vegetables
- Botanical Family : Asteraceae (daisy family)
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Perennial
- Exposure : Full Sun
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
- Cultivation Difficulty : Challenging
- Mature height : 200 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
- Sowing Depth : 10 cm
- Plant Spacing : 40 cm
- Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Moderate
- Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Division