Jeruselem artichokes
bekkie hughes
Posts: 5,294
in Fruit & veg
How do i grow these things????? Ive grown almost everything over the years, thought artichokes would be like spuds, theyve just arrived but are in a little bag of compost like bare roots, what the heck do i do now??? 
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plant them, they grow tall like the sunflowers they are. Helianthus tuberosa.
Don't eat them, they taste like dirt and give you gut rot.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I bought them from the grocers and then soaked them in water for a few hours then planted in a pot. When I saw growth I transferred to the ground - they are still there as I do not eat them. They grow tall (1.5-3 metres). Hardy and very easy. They need full sun and reasonably well drained soil. They do flower but think tiny little flower on top of a 2 metre stick.
Thanks for the help Nut, do i treat em like a spud, put in a bucket and eart up a bit at a time, i assume they are tender? Think i shouldve looked into all this before getting them, but they "fell" into the basket on saturday
Yes, fully hardy. I bought mine in Russia and it was -28C outside and they were grown locally.
I planted mine in my allotment a few years ago and each year the patch grows larger. they could become a problem taking over a small garden. No need to earth up. they are from the sunflower family but you cook them like potatoes.Eat only a small amount at first as they do cause wind until you are used to them. My chickens like them and they are good in chutney and stir fries.
I'm relieved that buttercup posted
I've eaten them and liked them thought they had an earthy nutty taste..I didn't explode
I do know they spread and the chap who gave me a boiling was having a job getting rid of them from his garden. Thankfully I didn't have room to plant any 
I would say 6 rhyzomes per trug as they grow. I would offer you some for free but postage is more than you would pay to buy them in the shops.
Bekkie - I've not yet grown JA's - but they make the most delicious soup - really, really easy and tasty - bit of a nutty, savoury taste - very difficult to describe.
They grow very tall so I'm not sure how well they would do in a container unless it was sunk into the ground for stability. I also don't know how much room the root & tuber system needs. If you plant them in open ground it is important to harvest them thoroughly (ie remove all the tubers) so you don't have unwanted plants popping up next year. I believe they can become a bit invasive if you just leave them in the ground.
They are a winter vegetable and are available in my local supermarket at the moment - so I suggest you buy a packet and try them first to see whether you like them or not. They are easy to grow but a very big plant - you might not want that if you don't like the taste of them.
The best way to avoid the flatulent
side effect is to cook them thoroughly...