March 13, 2017 – Jerusalem Artichoke Tubers – Sun Chokes or Sunroots and also, French or Canada potato

        This is my “experiment” plant this year.  I have wanted to try this for several years.  My husband has type 2 diabetes and this is supposed to lack starch.   I have only been looking at seed catalogs and vegetable culture catalogs regarding this Helianthus tuberosus as a food source and not browsing the internet.

I just received my five tubers which cost me $9.95 plus tax and shipping.    One tuber is about the size of 1 cup roughly and the other 4 tubers are smaller.  I bought a pound of them.

        A quick recap of what I found on the internet this afternoon gives me pause.  I am now more than hesitate about this possible invasive plant.

You will never get rid of this plant.

. . . an ex-lax-like effect

76 to 200 tubers yield per one tuber planted

A 5 x 5 foot bed yields 100 pounds of tubers.

They can grow tubers as deep as 24 inches down . . . . GOSH!

It is more a matter of containing than encouraging them.

        This sounds like the Johnson grass, September 15, 2016, blog that I am was trying to get rid of. [Or, which I hopefully got rid of last fall.]

        They also indicate they are easy to grow . . . and are an excellent cut flower.   Now, I do wonder if they can be scattered to the world by seed – good question. Found the answer: Butterflies love the flowers. YES. The seed heads are particularly loved by finches . . . and I adore gold finches . . . what a decision to make!

Since seeds may be an issue . . . I may just plant two tubers along my back property line in an open sunny place for the birds and butterflies to enjoy. 

        My plan of action is as follows:   Make a coral for two of them on the far end of the vegetable garden that gets lots of sun and won’t shade my other plants.  I will create a double blocked raised bed with a bottom that is solid in some fashion – patio blocks in the bottom to deter them growing to a 24 inch depth?  I’ll probably have to add stakes later in the growing season.

        The largest tuber I will put in a giant tree nursery pot.   I may have to pound metal stakes around the outside of the pot to keep it upright in the wind that I get – but at harvest time – I can simply dump out the pot, collect the tubers, and sift the soil for “left over tubers”.  Again, a doable thing.

        We have cold weather for the next few days – me thinks I will research this more before I do something close to insanity and create a nuisance I can’t eradicate.  But, right now, that is the plan – contain three tubers and then let two enjoy “themselves” out near the property line.

        Maybe the two property line tubers can counteract the invasiveness of my neighbor’s 300 foot long kudzu patch that abuts my back property line and constantly swoops over the line to take over.  Is that fighting invasive weed with invasive weed?  Is that neighborly?  Is that even sporting?  I’ve dealt with that Kudzu patch for about 20 years . . . I think it's pay back time.