How to Grow Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) – Helianthus Tuberosus

Sunchokes have been one of the easiest plants to grow that I’ve ever worked with.

Here are a few reasons why:

• Sunchokes are native to North America and have been cultivated by Native Americans including the Cherokee, Cree, Huron, and Iroquois for thousands of years.
• They are a perennial grown from large tubers, and the plants grow and spread aggressively, meaning they will outcompete grasses and other plants with ease
• They form symbiotic relationships with beneficial microbes and fungi, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB). These deeply connected organisms enhance sunchoke growth by improving nutrient and water uptake and making sunchokes incredibly resistant to drought (in other words, you don’t need to water them, but watering them when there has not been rain for a few weeks can increase your yields).

Here’s how we recommend planting sunchokes:

• Pick a sunny location. These plants are “native sunflowers,” meaning they love sun! The more the merrier, and they can’t get too much of it. In low sun areas (less than four hours a day), they will try to use their tall stalks to reach more sunlight and often still grow fine.
• Choose your soil. Sunchokes thrive in very sandy and very clay-rich soil. I have yet to find a soil that they have not thrived in. You can even put a tuber underneath a thick mat of grass lawn and they will grow just fine.
• Ensure that your tubers are covered by soil. You do not need to plant them deeply, but ensure that enough soil covers the tubers to protect them from animals who want to eat them and to keep them moist (1/2 inch to 1 inch of soil is enough cover).