Growing Jerusalem Artichokes, also Sunchoke

Helianthus tuberosus : Asteraceae / the daisy family

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

(Best months for growing Jerusalem Artichokes in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Plant tubers
  • Easy to grow. Plant tubers about 5cm (1.5") deep.. Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 15°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 30 - 45 cm apart
  • Harvest in 15-20 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Tomatoes, cucumbers

Your comments and tips

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02 May 20, Fiona Buchanan (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Hello I've just been given a huge bag of Jerusalem artichokes. No problems in using them but I want to keep some tubers to plant out at then of winter /spring. Can anyone tell me how to store them until then.
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08 May 20, Anon (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Plant a few them out now. As sunflowers, they are prettier in a north facing spot. They'll be fine as long as they get a bit of water. Be warned they can be quite invasive over a couple of year period if you're not careful.
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06 May 20, Anon (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Google how to store them.
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02 Apr 20, Anne (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Do you think I could grow these in the Wairarapa? We have frosts to about -5 in winter.
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07 May 20, Christie (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I’ve seen them growing in a few Wairarapa gardens - not sure if people water them but I’ve also seen them growing along side the Ruamahanga under one of the bridges so I guess it should be fine!
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04 Jan 20, Elaine Brown (New Zealand - temperate climate)
hi, I found keeping the tubers in damp sawdust was ok, but the last season I dug what I wanted and left the rest in the ground over winter dug up in september and planted them out, now I have a forest of them . hope this helps
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04 Nov 19, STEPHANIE LIEBERT (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Hi I bought some Jerusalem Artichoke tubers on trade-me a few months back and they have been dormant in the ground since about June. I am in Auckland, and the spot they are in is sheltered and sunny. NOTHING has come up yet. Should I worry?
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07 Nov 19, Another gardener (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Try checking here before planting anything. You planted early winter instead early spring. This is what happens when people plant out of season. If you had a wet winter they may be rotten. Dig around the tubers to see how they are.
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20 Aug 19, Brian GRIBBEN (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Where can I acquire some tubers to grow I live in Auckland?
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26 Aug 19, Anon (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Search on-line where to buy JA in NZ.
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Showing 11 - 20 of 45 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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