J is for Jerusalem Artichoke.
Don’t let the name fool you, the Jerusalem Artichoke has nothing to do with artichokes or Jerusalem.
It is in the sunflower family and is also called sunroot, sunchoke, or earth apple. It is a perennial plant that can grow up to 3 meters tall. This perennial plant with edible roots grows in two spots in the garden … at the back of the fence garden and on the hill garden.
Once I realized how tall, and invasive these plants could be I moved them to another couple of spots where there was more space.
The flowers were a disappointment to me the first year I grew them because the stems grew so tall I thought it would have large blooms. But the size of them just didn’t seem to fit the plant. I am peering out between the stems the first year (photo above), when I really didn’t know much about the plant at all. Lots has changed in the garden since this photo was taken. The first is I have a much better camera to take photos with. This actual garden area isn’t there any more and the fence garden wasn’t fully developed yet.
I now have these plants growing in the fence garden (tall plants right in front of the fence) and on a hill border garden. I think they are going to be moved to a bigger location this year.
They grow so lovely and tall that they become a natural fence. They have spread into the grape vine fence now. And I hate to say it but they also spread into the neighbours yard.
Thank goodness for the zoom on the camera else I wouldn’t be able to get photos of the blooms right up in the sky. They must be over 10 feet, or 3 meters, tall.
The blooms can be up to 10 cm. across, so when you consider the plant can be 3 meters tall, that is rather small. Blooms don’t appear till October.
This plant grows from tubers. The white variety is called Stampede. You can cut the tubers into smaller pieces if transplanting as long as there is a new shoot on each piece. This plant spreads rapidly, prefering a fertile soil in a mainly sunny location. I’ve recently just learned about other varieties and hope to try some of them out this year.
The tuber is edible and if you search you will find various recipes. Roasted sun chokes have a nutty slightly sweet taste. You can also scrub and roast them like jacket potatoes. Over the years I have given away many of the tubers and some of the recipients have told me they grow really well and enjoy them in various recipes. A quick search will give you lots of different recipes.
Harvesting is best done in mid to late Fall, after the first frost. Although I have dug them earlier in the season.
ABC Wednesday is up to J. J for Jerusalem artichokes.
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Are you looking for some of these tubers for your own garden?
This family run business in British Columbia, chokedup.ca, has 3 varieties and will ship across Canada. Be sure to check them out if you are looking for good quality tubers. If you do please mention you saw the link on my site.
Margie
What an interesting flower. I gotta admit that I’m a little freaked out by flowers that grow taller than me. HA!
Elaine
These big plants you have in this post look very similar to the wild sunflowers we get by our river banks in the swampy areas and ditches big tall plants small yellow daisy flowers just like you pics . Your Potatoes look YUMMY ! nothing like garden fresh veggies they taste so much better then store bought that’s for sure , we enjoyed sharing a veggie garden last year with our friends and neighbors as their garden was way to big for just the two of them . I hope to do a bit of veggie container planting this season or a table garden or just go whole hog and do a raised veggie garden . Thanks for sharing , have a good day !
Linda aka Crafty Gardener
They probably are the same Elaine, you can check once they start growing, pull one and see if there is a tuber on the end. They can be very invasive in open spaces.
Lavender Dreamer
They are very pretty and I hope you have lots of blooms this year! Hugs!
linda
I was hoping they spread by seed, as I would love these for the cottage!!
I will look at Nurseries to see if I can find some!!
Cheers!
Linda :o)
Linda aka Crafty Gardener
I can always mail you a couple of the tubers when the ground softens up. Just let me know.
Linda
That would be amazing Linda…thanks so much ?
I will email you my address…
Klara S
Beautiful flowers. Lovely pictures.
Roger O Green
The tubers looked like cooked chicken!
ABC Wednesday
Never at it but your images look very pretty
Have a splendid, ♥-warming ABC-Wednes-day / -week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♪ (ABC-W-team)
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Su-sieee! Mac
I like to grow sunflowers, but don’t like that I have to sow seeds every year. Maybe I’ll give Jerusalem Artichokes a try. I like the idea of it being a perennial and edible food.
Margy
I’ve thought about trying to grow some up in my hillside garden. I even bought some tubers from West Coast Seeds to give it a try. I made a fence around the area to keep critters away from the developing plants, but they never sprouted. Probably the best thing. I need to grow annual crops (like potatoes) that can be dug out so I can make my compost pit every fall. With lots of plants in pots and the float garden I need space to get rid of them, and a large covered pit to cook through the winter works best. Because the timeline is short I use compost accelerator and by April or May when I uncover it the soil is ready for more potatoes. – Margy