Flowering Jerusalem artichokes

[mormor]

My Jerusalem artichokes - planted this year - are in flower!  Why?  Is it because it has been very hot and dry here in Denmark (forget Nordic Noir and all those gloomy tv series) And will it mean I don't get edible tubers?  Has anyone else had this problem? Help!  (please)

[mormor]

[Obelixx]

When I grew them for sevral years they always flowered and I just let them get on wit it.   Harvest the roots in autumn and winter as needed.

[caroline7758]

I love the flowers and am quite sad when they don't flower.

[galina]

I love the flowers and am quite sad when they don't flower.

Yes, they are like tall, small sunflowers.  If at all, mine flower around the time of the first frost!  Flowering already is a bonus indeed.  You could even get seeds!!!  How rare is that in northern Europe!

[George the Pigman]

Yes they do produce pretty flowers but beware - they are incredibly invasive! I planted some on my allotment 15 years ago and it took me many years to get rid of them. They spread rapidly via the roots/tubers.

I planted horseradish at the same time but still haven't completely got rid of that yet!!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mine flower annually as well; I think it must be down to the variety. The much knobblier ones we had when I was a kid never flowered at all.

[Obelixx]

I planted a long row of these on the edge of our veg garden between us and the field behind so they could act as a wind break (yes, I know, double entendre).   They did well for two years but then disappeared so we must have been too good at digging up the tubers.   

Since then we have a hawthorn hedge along one part and we've erected a wire mesh fence along the rest and I have a row of black and red currants along that bed with windbreak fabric for extra protection in winter.     Now I just buy a few fartichokes when I find organic ones at the local shop. 

[Ian Pearson]

JA flowering is day-length triggered, the critical day length varying from variety to variety. Viable true seed can be obtained from the flowers if you have more than one variety flowering simultaneously.

[mormor]

Thanks for all your comments.  I have grown them for years. They haven't been invasive I dig them up every year.  But this is a new sort as last year was a complete failure.  I think they got eaten by voles so I moved to another patch and bought new tubers.  And yes, the flowers are pretty.  I just thought they flowered in the second year when not dug up.  Live and learn!

[antipodes]

I thought that they flowered each year! I just have a few but they are massive, I have had to stake them to stop them f