Growing Jerusalem Artichokes, also Sunchoke

Helianthus tuberosus : Asteraceae / the daisy family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
      P                

(Best months for growing Jerusalem Artichokes in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant tubers
  • Easy to grow. Plant tubers about 5cm (1.5") deep.. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 59°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 12 - 18 inches apart
  • Harvest in 15-20 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Tomatoes, cucumbers

Your comments and tips

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14 Jan 18, Phillip (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Does anyone have any JAs at this time of the year? I'm looking for up to 15 kilos but any amount ok. Jan 2018
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24 Aug 18, Linda (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Phillip, I have 15kgs of JAs if you are still looking. Growing beautifully pretty much in the deep south. Will still have then in Jan next year.
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21 Sep 18, Pat shannon (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Linda Do you have any seed tubers now (Oct)?
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07 Dec 17, Leanne (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in wa and found some shriveled up chokes at my local iga. I planted them and thought they had died but eventually they popped up and grew. I planted out all the tubers the next year and kept expanding my crop.That was 3 years ago. This year I have planted close to 200 tubers and gave away many more. They grow well here, just need to keep them watered in summer and you will be rewarded. To store them I layer the chokes with coarse sand in a bucket with a lid and give them a spray of water if the sand gets really dry. I am happy to share them if you live in perth.
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05 Feb 18, Chi (Australia - arid climate)
Hi Leanne. Thank you very much for your information. What would be the best time to plant them in Perth. Can you give me some tubes? - Chi
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16 Nov 17, Robert Boardman (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I have grown Jerusalem artichokes - sunchokes - for two years. What got left in the ground last Fall grew in the late Spring. After two days of below zero temperatures this week I harvested more than 20kg of tubers from about 15 plants. From reading articles and from growing them I learned I cannot find all the tubers when I dig in the Fall. They must be harvested in the Fall, no tubers will form until day length is less than night length.
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07 Nov 17, Linda Swanborough (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Where can I buy them in the Sandton, Fourways area? Thanks
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08 Feb 18, Astrid (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Not sure if you have come right yet, but if not... Jerusalem artichokes will probably not be on sale until the end of the season - at the moment they are putting all the energy into the flower and won't be of a quality to sell. You can keep an eye on www.seedsforafrica.co.za and www.theseedvault.co.za, both of these sites usually have tubers available when in season.
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24 Aug 17, Lynne (Canada - zone 4a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Can tubers be planted in the fall and harvested the next summer like I do with garlic. We usually have a late spring so it's hard to plant until at least June.
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12 Feb 18, Paul Lefebvre (Canada - Zone 6a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Jerusalem Artichokes can definitely planted in the fall. Studies show that fall plantings are, in fact, better for production as it promotes an earlier start for the plant.
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Showing 141 - 150 of 305 comments
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It took a while but I have learned to love Sunchokes. Undoubtedly the easiest and most prolific vegetable of them all. But what to do with them ? Boil them, roast them, grate them into salads, slice them into stir fry. I use them mainly as a filler. They thicken soups and stews and I mash them up with my spuds. Very economical. they don’t have a long shelf life (which is why they are ridiculously expensive) so I tend to leave them in the ground until I use them. If you have a lot of sunchokes - and you will - you can be brutal when you peel them. But keep the peelings out of the compost or you’ll end up with sunchokes everywhere ! Warning : They can be ‘noisy’. Not recommended for date night or before attending the cinema.

- Jamie

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