You will receive one pound of sunchoke tubers or pieces with cross sections of 1-4" each. The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), also sometimes referred to as the sunroot, sunchoke or wild sunflower, is a perennial native to central North America. Its tuberous root is a delicate, low-glycemic-index root vegetable and alternative to the starchier potato. Although the plants are beautiful themselves, with pretty yellow daisy-like flowers, and are capable of providing a seasonal privacy fence in their first year of growth, H. tuberosus is most commonly cultivated for its fleshy tubers. These have the texture of water chestnuts, the nutty flavor of artichoke hearts, and the satisfying starchiness of potatoes without the glycemic load. They are also an excellent source of inulin.
Propagating Jerusalem artichokes is almost too easy. They can be planted any time the ground can be worked, are hardy to zones 3-9, and tolerant of a wide variety of soil conditions. These tubers grow so prolifically that they can be invasive, especially if they are not harvested on annual basis. If you do decide you need more of these, simply harvest them in late winter, break apart the tubers and spread them out, planting each ping-pong-ball-sized tuber about 8-10” apart. Looser soil will produce many more tubers that are easier to harvest, but this plant will grow in just about any conditions, although it does perform better in temperate zones. If you have experience growing these in warmer climates, I would love to know about how H. tuberosus has produced for you.
PERENNIAL - Plant once and enjoy for years to come with little to no maintenance.
SURVIVAL FOOD - Perennial sunchokes can be harvested all winter long and store best if simply left in the ground. These are an excellent survival food because they can be harvested in the middle of winter.
NATURAL PRIVACY FENCE - Sunchokes are actually really tall sunflowers and can grow to 9 feet tall and when planted in a row produce an all-natural, seasonal privacy fence.
EASY-TO-GROW - Sunchokes are very easy to grow and hardy in zones 3-9.
WEST VIRGINIA GROWN - Smoke Camp Crafts' Jerusalem artichokes are naturally grown in central West Virginia.
WOMEN-OWNED - Smoke Camp Crafts is a WBENC certified woman-owned company.
