Friday 9 May 2014

A Very Late Planting Of Jerusalem Artichokes

When we had the Allotment we had a good patch of Jerusalem artichokes and enjoyed them roasted with a meal. when we moved here I planted some I took with us but the plot I chose for them was too wet so they just rotted in the ground. 
 Although it's a little late to be planting them, last weekend I managed to get the ones I managed to get hold of in the ground. I used some pallet collars from my dads work as cheap raised beds and filled them with soil we dug out from the greenhouse. 
Two raised beds with five artichokes to a bed. One bed was one collar high and the other two collars high to see which will do best.
Hopefully by having them in raised beds will mean that if I want to change their location it won't be too much of a problem, as I know they can be a little invasive.
Anyone else grow Jerusalem artichokes? How do you grow yours and do you feed them with; manure to start with or a liquid feed when they're growing? 

20 comments:

  1. I haven't grown them for years, Kev. Like most of our vegetables they originate from over seas. Think they come from North America? I know they like a rich and fertile soil. So I would imagine good old fym to make the tubers grow.

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    1. Yeah from North America/Canada I've been reading up on them, I love the history to what we eat now.

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  2. I have never known about Jerusalem artichoke before. I hope you will post the growth's progress forward. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I'll keep you updated with how they grow, they do get quite big.

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  3. We have three patches of Jerusalem Artichokes. I only remember planting one of them ! We don't do anything with them other than try to thin them out!!
    The goats used to love the tops when they had grown to eight foot tall and we ate the roots, though we found that the chickens like the roots too

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    1. Good if it can be used as goat fodder as well. I think it's used as a game cover crop as well sometimes.

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  4. I don't grow them but have considered them on & off over the past couple of years. If I can work in a permanent space for them I ill give them a go.

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    1. Finding the space for something like this can be tricky. thats why I went for the raised beds so I can move it if I want to.

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  5. I can't be of any help to you, as I planted some last year and never harvested them. They grew well above ground; I don't know what they did below. Maybe this year will tell the story.

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    1. You should did them up in the autumn they're lovely roasted.

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  6. I have grown them in a compost bag, I just watered and fed with tomato food when I had some left in the watering can. We always got a decent crop.

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    1. Sounds like a safe way of growing them without hem getting out of control!

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  7. I grow them just for the flowers! Their nickname is 'Fa*tichokes' don't you know? Or are you one of those folk who don't suffer the 'problem' with them?

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    1. I think it's more than everything gives me that problem so I no longer worry! The flowers are lovely so it will be nice to have some in vases over the summer.

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  8. We have a patch of them, they make a good shelter break as well, ideal for allotments.

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    1. We had them at our old allotments and they made a nice wind break and help [protect the soft fruit bushes we had.

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  9. loads of manure in the autumn other than that we do nothing to them. We have found they are best made into chips. ours have jumped out of the bed we have and are coming up next to it. if and when I clear it we will put them in a brick line bed.

    they don't seem to have any effect on me

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    1. We used to just roast them along side the potatoes but hey wouldn't need so much time. We'll try them as chips if they grow very well this year!

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  10. I used to have Jerusalem Artichokes at the front door of my polytunnel, on the outside. After the initial planting and one good feed of chicken and horse manures, I left them too it and we had Farty-chokes for the following three years from that one planting.

    No matter how carefully you dig them up there's always some that remain to grow on next year.

    And aren't the flowers gorgeous, I had vases full for the house every year :-)

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    1. I do love the flowers and I love sunflowers as well so they should make a good mix to have for cut flowers in the house in the summer. Hopefully My wife will think I'm a better gardener if I grow lots of flowers for her!

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