Jerusalem artichoke – cultivation, care

Jerusalem artichoke is a totally undemanding plant that can grow in one place for up to 30 years and, when used and consumed correctly, will help you maintain health.

Jerusalem artichoke is a plant from the Asteraceae family and a close relative of sunflower, native to North America. This is a perennial plant with straight thin stems and hard rough leaves, up to 3 m in height. Edible knotty oblong tubers of yellowish, brown or reddish color are attached to the rhizomes of Jerusalem artichoke, which ripen in autumn and are completely ready to eat after the first frost. In appearance, Jerusalem artichoke tubers are a bit like ginger roots. Jerusalem artichoke tubers are tasty and have healing properties. Jerusalem artichoke is very cold-resistant, its tubers winter well in the ground, so in cold regions you can harvest earthen pear in autumn or early spring, and in warmer regions – all winter.

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How to plant Jerusalem artichoke

Jerusalem artichoke is undemanding to the soil, but it grows worse on acidic soils and in low-lying areas where water stagnates in spring. The Jerusalem artichoke culture can be used to develop heavy soils. For Jerusalem artichoke, the site is dug up in the fall, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied on poor soils. Jerusalem artichoke is propagated by tubers, tubers with a small chicken egg are selected for planting. The planting time of Jerusalem artichoke coincides with planting potatoes – late April – mid-May. Jerusalem artichoke tubers are planted in a trench. Then carefully cover the trench with earth and make a small ridge over the tubers with a rake. The planting depth of Jerusalem artichoke is 15 cm, the distance between tubers in a row is 45 cm, the distance between rows is 1 meter. The approximate time from planting Jerusalem artichoke to the first sprouts is 2-4 weeks. The time from planting to the autumn harvest of Jerusalem artichoke is 40-50 weeks.

Lavender comes in pink, purple, white, and even yellow.

Jerusalem artichoke care

Caring for Jerusalem artichoke is technically easy . Jerusalem artichoke is easy to care for. When the stems reach a height of 30 cm, the plants are spudded. In severe drought, watering is necessary. When the stems of Jerusalem artichoke rise to a meter height, a trellis is placed at the beginning and end of the beds, a wire in a plastic winding is attached to it on both sides of the plants. This must be done due to the fact that the tall stems of Jerusalem artichoke are strongly swayed by the wind and can break. It is very convenient to plant Jerusalem artichoke along the fence. During the budding period, Jerusalem artichoke is fed with a liquid solution of microfertilizers, or mineral fertilizer, and the buds are removed as they form.

In autumn, after the leaves wither, the stems of Jerusalem artichoke are cut at a height of 30 cm above the soil level. You can harvest Jerusalem artichoke both in autumn, in September – November, and in spring, or in April – May next year. Plants left in the garden until spring for the winter are sprinkled with earth, humus or covered with straw. In the spring, all Jerusalem artichoke tubers are dug up, selecting the ones needed for planting. If the tubers are not dug up, the Jerusalem artichoke will grow and can litter the garden. In vegetable gardens, as a rule, non-varietal Jerusalem artichoke with white skin is grown. Its yield is 1-2 kg of tubers per plant. If you have the opportunity, purchase varietal planting material, the yield of varietal Jerusalem artichoke will delight you.

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Storage of Jerusalem artichoke tubers

Harvested Jerusalem artichoke tubers need high humidity during storage. Store Jerusalem artichoke in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, packed in a damp cloth, for no more than a week or two.