Your Guide to Growing Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)

Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) are an underappreciated perennial food crop with many benefits for the garden and many uses in the kitchen.

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The weird knobby roots (which resemble ginger) are the edible tubers of a native sunflower species.

This simple step-by-step guide will show you how to plant, grow, and harvest sunchokes at home without having them take over the whole yard.

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Create a trench 4 to 6 inches deep in well-amended soil. (I recommend adding compost and kelp meal to the soil before planting.)

Plant the tubers 12 to 18 inches apart.

Backfill the trench with soil and keep the soil evenly moist until the tubers sprout.

Mulch the bed with 2 to 3 inches of organic matter.

Tubers should sprout in 7 to 14 days, as long as the soil temperature is between 65°F and 90°F.

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