Back on February 19th I planted Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus) after reading up more on its great nutrient values. A member of the sunflower family, and only a distant cousin of the globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus), this plant is grown for its roots and not the unopened flower bud of the globe artichoke.
So now I have both 'aritchokes' growing in our gardens. The globe artichokes in fact are producing nicely now.
As I do with many edibles that I have not grown before I have planted the sunchokes in 3 different locations to see where they do best.
The top photo is in a pot, the next one is in an area we call the Meadow because it receives sun only in the middle 3-5 hours of the day, and the final photo is in a patch of parsley (with some Greek Oregano).
In the parsley patch I planted about 6-8 tubers, so far only one is "up" that we can tell. In the meadow and pot I planted a single tuber and both are doing very well.
You can read the "planting" post here for more info on why I decided to grow these.
I have two tubers left in my crisper and we are grilling today, so I'm going to give them a try on the grill - will let you know how they turn out.
Most information on growing sunchokes talks about how invasive they can be, which is why I chose the spots I did - so I can keep an eye on them :-) My plan is to harvest in late summer/early fall and see what kind of production I get. I am pleased that the tubers I purchased have good staying power in the crisper.
As a member of the sunflower family, you can plant the sunchokes in the same time frame as sunflowers -- February through June. I do know of a local farmer who is harvesting sunchokes now, so they would most likely have been planted in early - mid fall.
I purchased my chokes from Whole Foods, but if you are in the East Valley, you may wish to check out Love Grows for what they have available.
Gardening Tip:
You will notice with the sunchoke in the pot that there are several other plants growing. I planted strawberry spinach, a basil and a bell pepper. When I am planting something that is not a transplant, i.e., seed or tuber type plants, and I want to keep track of them AND remember to make sure they are watered properly I plant small plants to remind me there is something growing there. Competition for nutrients is seldom a problem, but I can always top off with more compost.
Have a great day in the garden,
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
