How do you support yours? Mine are now about 6 ft tall and some had toppled over today. I've put some canes in for the time being. Also, do you thin them out at all? There seem to be several stems coming from the ground on each one.
HI
I have mine behind my shed in 2 large boxes ( bottle recyling ones ).
THe wind blows them towards the shed so it supports the,m.
Cambourne7
I have two varieties in large tubs. They are each supported by four canes, tied round with jute at two levels to hold the stems upright when the wind blows.
Tricia
8ft canes supporting mine, tied loosely with twine. Some are about 5ft tall now.
Supersprout told me that they don't like wind rock so the canes have been in from the start.
Mine you I only put in two tubers and now have about 6 shoots, if I had a whole wall of them, I guess it would be a cane at each end of the row with twine running between the two canes.
Don't know about supporting them... mine are travelling rapidly and I have withdrawn all support...I spend half my time pulling out shoots coming up all around where the main ones are.
Mine don't need support, they seem to stand up on the windiest days... and when cooked, create the windest days!!
Don't get me wrong, I love the taste of them and when I harvest the ones I want later in the year, they go down very well, but I just wish they weren't so darn prolific!!!
Lin
one of mine went over too... my books say the super sprout way too... i just need the energy tie everything up
The thinning helps a lot... you get sturdier plants... easier said than done though! I'm on the third dig over of a bed where they were...
After mine blew over last year I got hubby to put 2 posts in front of their patch and tie rope between between them and back to the fence posts. Even with last nights winds they have survived (they are a bit battered though) The posts are banded into the ground about 2' so they are quite sturdy.
Not sure if you can see what I mean in all this jungle !!
(http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5117/artichokesupportii9.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Shot with ViviCam 3835 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=ViviCam+3835&make=Vivitar) at 2007-06-27
Helen
I thought they were meant to be sturdy and able to be used as windbreaks?
Last year ours were mainly standing up to the wind on their own, but a few of the thinner stems blew down - we just snapped them off.
Also last year we stopped them at about 6 feet high (loppers in some cases, secateurs not enough!) which seemed to help. We didn't give them any form of support.
We're not growing any this year, something else in their place.
p.s. Tinky Bear, is that Jaws looming over your fence?
Hehehe, I wish I was that close to the sea.
Neighbours are jealous of my garden and are trying to compete with the stuff I have growing, I believe they are attempting to grow the 10' speedboat into a Fairline 46 but I doubt they will be sucessful.
Maybe my JA's are just a bit pathetic as they all blew over last year, mind you the wind does woosh over the gardens - blew my greenhouse door off the runners and the top of the chimney off monday night.
Helen
Here's how I support mine. Old 4" timber fenceposts with ex-rooofing batterns for horozontal support.
(http://david-frary.com/images/jerusalems_june.jpg)
That's what I call support!!