Topic: Jerusalem Artichokes....

[chriscross1966]

Never grown them before, started them off in pots outside about 6 weeks ago, now they're starting to show shoots.....Do I get them into the ground ASAP, do I need to cover them in case of frost, can I leave it a couple of weeks to get more ground sorted out at the "permanent plantings" end of the allotment (which I only got strimmed yesterday and will need raking, glyphosate and digging..... or could I just put a strip of weed fabric down , cut holes in it and plant them into that?

chrisc

[saddad]

They don't need frost protection but be careful about where you put them.. they are difficult to get out afterwards... never tried through fabric but do know that couch roots will pierce the tubers...  :-X

[Old bird]

Pretty nigh impossible to kill them!

I have put mine back in the same bed and am bound to have about 50 volunteers also!

Old Bird

 ;D

[Eristic]

The first thing to consider is providing substantial support for the plants as they can grow 4-5 metres tall. My website has a page about them that may be of interest. Growing Jerusalem artichokes.

[Robert_Brenchley]

My family didn't like them before, but I kept a few going. They've now decided they like artichoke soup, so I'll have to grow more this year. It really is worth fencing them in, otherwise they''ll end up lying all over your other crops.

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

I inherited a few rows and the had no support, no maintenance what ever and produced loads of tubers.  We have boiled, roasted and made soup from them - left them in the ground and lifted what we wanted throughout the winter months.  All told, a really handy, low maintenace crop and we will be doing some more this year.

Psi

[Robert_Brenchley]

My father left them in place for years and they did OK. When I was in Cornwall we did the same, except we let the hens in once they were above pecking height, so they got well manured.

[chriscross1966]

Many thanks for all this, looks like I need to "aquire" some more pallets and get building some supports for them..... a nice job for WEdnesday evening I think....  I'm going to put them to the northern side of where I will be growing asparagus in the fullness of time.... they'll be the only rows that run along my allotment (one row of JA's about 15 feet long and three rows of asparagus).... all the rest of my rows go north-south across my allotment and are about 10  feet long.... makes sense on my planting plan anyway :-)

[Vortex]

I wouldn't put them where your asparagus is going - it no joke about getting them out again, miss even a section an inch long and you'll have a fully fledged 4m high plant by the end of the year.
They also don't need a great deal of support, the one year I deliberately grew them I put a 5' post in at each corner of the bed, 1.2m x 1m, with a 11/2" x 3/4" batten running around the top of the posts, just to stop them getting blown over. I reckon I pulled about 80lb of tubers out of the bed from 16 original tubers.
We don't like them either which is why I no longer deliberately grow them. I reckon I pulled about 20lb out of the bed in January from the volunteers that got left behind. I'm waiting to how many come up this year.

[chriscross1966]

I wouldn't put them where your asparagus is going - it no joke about getting them out again, miss even a section an inch long and you'll have a fully fledged 4m high plant by the end of the year.
They also don't need a great deal of support, the one year I deliberately grew them I put a 5' post in at each corner of the bed, 1.2m x 1m, with a 11/2" x 3/4" batten running around the top of the posts, just to stop them getting blown over. I reckon I pulled about 80lb of tubers out of the bed from 16 original tubers.
We don't like them either which is why I no longer deliberately grow them. I reckon I pulled about 20lb out of the bed in January from the volunteers that got left behind. I'm waiting to how many come up this year.

They'll be a couple of metres from the asparagus to the north of it (so not shading it), the bed between them will generally be "queer gear"... this year either oca or blue popcorn..... I've got more space than I really need so this year the asparagus won't be in that bed anyway, it'll prolly be in big pots suunk in somewhere else while I prep the bed.... if it all goes Pete Tong with the JA's then I'll work around it.... I've killed off horsetails in less than a year before, I'm pretty certain I can get rid of feral artichokes.....  ;D

chrisc

[thifasmom]

I've got more space than I really need
chrisc

whaaat!!! :o kinda freak are you? ;) ;D

[chriscross1966]

I've got more space than I really need
chrisc

whaaat!!! :o kinda freak are you? ;) ;D

A single bloke with a full-size allotment......

[Robert_Brenchley]

Feral JA's aren't that hard to dispose of. Dig what you can out. Wait till the rest emerge, then dig them all out, and put your tender veg in the bed.

[louise stella]

They are pretty bombproof really!  I dug loads out yesterday - we don't particularly like them, but I will still grow tham as my niece likes them.  Be careful where you put them!

Louise

[Barnowl]

My JA's are in an enclosed 3ft x 2ft bed with boards sunk into the ground under the normal boards making about a 16" deep surround which seems to do the trick.

I dig out the entire bed  down to around 18" in March every year, fishing out any remaining tubers and bits of tuber, then put the soil back and replant just five tubers - the smoothest and best shape.  Finally I cover the bed with a thick layer of composted manure.  Apart from an occasional watering if the weather is particularly dry, they're left to their own devices until they produce flowers which we use as cut flowers for the home.

They're nothing like as hard to get rid of as bindweed.

The bed produces at least 4 buckets of JA's each year. They're an amazingly productive plant.

[tilts]

I use my JA as a fence in themselves, they are really hardy. 
I always cut them down by about a foot once they get to about 4' high, just before they flower, they then continue to flower, create a windbreak and produce some great artichokes. 
They are a fantastic attraction for bees and has already been said a great cutflower. 
Like potatoes they are a great loot for children to find at digging time. All in all win win, a great allotment recruitment tool!!! :)

[cleo]

The last helping of JA soup was very nice for lunch-there are always a few lurking around ;D

But I do bang on about moving the best tubers and re-planting every year

[Robert_Brenchley]

I grew them as a screen for several years, to discourage certain people from spying. So I haven't made a practice of moving them!