Print Page - Lazy bed for JA's?

Title: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: caroline7758 on January 31, 2007, 13:55:14

Got some jerusalem artchoke tubers from freecycle today. Just wondering whether the "lazy bed" method would work for them?

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: Barnowl on January 31, 2007, 14:02:09

Most people have trouble stopping them growing!

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: okra on January 31, 2007, 18:10:32

I agrre they seem pretty indestructible - once established you should have them for years to come.

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: Barnowl on January 31, 2007, 18:15:08

Expect to get about 5lbs of tubers per plant.

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: supersprout on January 31, 2007, 18:17:08

Yep, even if you have to dig out 'cores' with a bulb planter!
The only downside might be that they would need staking, as the soil would be loose. I always stake mine anyway, so not really a downside.

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: Mrs Ava on January 31, 2007, 22:56:10

Planted mine today SS! ;D

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: Froglegs on February 01, 2007, 08:31:06

Is now the time to plant them ???, i put mine in much later last year :-[

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: robkb on February 01, 2007, 09:00:07

Mine are going in this weekend - got 5 tubers to try. Bag says they make an effective windbreak, which seems quite funny considering their reputation ;D :o BTW, what's a lazy bed?

Cheers,
Rob ;)

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: bennettsleg on February 01, 2007, 12:34:45

I'd just shove them in. I even cut mine into "egg size pieces" with the spade while they lay in the hole and still got a great crop. Marvellous!

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: Barnowl on February 01, 2007, 12:41:47

and you can use them for cut flowers....

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: SKIP on February 01, 2007, 13:23:05

when I grew them the year before last - I had no flowers on them, even though I harvested a fair few tubers ... those flowers look stunning, anyone know why mine didn't flower??
I grew them in a big pot in the end as everyone had scared me about never getting rid of them, & did put a few tubers in there, so maybe they were too crouded or tried out in the pot?

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: Barnowl on February 01, 2007, 14:08:39

Can' t help I'm afraid.

They're related to sunflowers so you'd expect them to flower. I did find this comment in an agricultural paper:

"Plants will only flower in the UK and northern Europe after an exceptionally long warm summer."

- but that's exactly what we had and I'm pretty sure all the other JA's I noticed around our allotments flowered.

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: cornykev on February 01, 2007, 14:44:58

Thanks for the JA swap Jenny, I will be planting some this weekend. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: Jitterbug on February 01, 2007, 15:10:35

I'm going to put mine into pots as I would hate them taking over the lottie. I have this well honed plan you see ;D ;D ;D (every centimeter accounted for)!!

Jitterbug

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: okra on February 01, 2007, 19:05:59

Planted a row today ;D

Title: Re: Lazy bed for JA's?
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on February 01, 2007, 19:43:30

I think whether they flower or not depends on the variety. I can't remember seeing flowers on the old knobbly varieties at all, but the smoother ones I grow now flower quite reliably.

Allotments 4 All

Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: caroline7758 on January 31, 2007, 13:55:14