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Do Jerusalem Artichoke tubers need to stay moist before planting?

Matt McSpadden

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posted 7 months ago

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Question:
Do Jerusalem Artichoke tubers need to stay moist before planting?

Details:
This is my first time growing Jerusalem Artichokes. A couple weeks ago, I got a couple pounds of Jerusalem artichoke tubers to plant, but I'm behind in my planting. When I got them, they were in a bucket, mostly covered in moist dirt. Does it matter if they dry out a bit before I can get them in the soil? Should I keep them moist? They are looking kind of dry right now.

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Christopher Weeks

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posted 7 months ago

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They're notorious for going bad quickly. They get limp and then rot. I've managed to hang onto them through the winter by packing them in moist vermiculite, sealed in plastic, in the fridge. I once hung on to a a box of Lofthouse sunroots for two or three weeks before planting but they were bagged up, not open, and they grew fine.

I'm not sure how dry you mean they've gotten, but no harm in putting them in the ground and hoping for the best!

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Stephen B. Thomas

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posted 7 months ago

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TO SUM UP:
In all but the harshest treatment and/or conditions, I suspect they'll grow again.

THE DETAILS:
We have Jerusalem Artichokes growing all over the place. They'll grow by accident, in my experience.

However, they will dry out and won't really grow after they've shriveled-up. So a completely dry environment seems bad. At the same time, we've also kept some in a bucket in water, and they all rotted. Moist soil ought to work fine, though I'd be wary of muddy conditions. Perhaps being drought-tolerant makes them also susceptible to excessive exposure to moisture.

Keeping them buried under a shallow layer of sand or sandy dirt will preserve them well enough. Over the winter we buried some in like two or three inches of sand, then laid a surplus window over top of it to make a crude cold frame. They stayed firm for the most part, and I think all of them we hadn't taken in to eat ended up sprouting. They do well after transplanting as well, so long as it's still the early season.

In our experience, pickling and dehydration are two successful preservation methods. But it seems a bit early in the year to dwell on that. Good luck!

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Matt McSpadden

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posted 7 months ago

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So, it sounds like if they are still firm, they will probably be fine, but it wouldn't hurt to moisten the soil in the bucket until I can get them in the ground. Unfortunately where I am putting them is a new raised bed, which requires either some more digging under where the chicken bedding is dumped, or else stopping somewhere to pick up some bags of compost.

Christopher Weeks

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You could also half-assed plant them somewhere else for the year and then move them next spring after the bed is ripe. Mine grow fine just shoved into a spade-slice in our poor-fertility sandy loam. They grow slower than other people report, but they grow.

Michelle Heath

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posted 7 months ago

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Mine were originally planted half-assed too. Had them in large pots at my grandma's and when she passed away I brought the pots home and there they sat, putting roots into the ground and thriving in the same spot for seven years now.

Keep them moist and they should be fine for a week or so until you can get them planted.

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Matt McSpadden

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Thanks to everyone for their input. I gathered my energy and worked until dusk to finish the raised bed. I planted them tonight. Most did not feel too bad. There were a couple that were moldy and I just pitched them because I have more than I need. We will see how they grow.

Matt McSpadden

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I don't have pictures handy, but they seem to live up to their reputation of being hard to kill. Despite being dried out, and a few moldy, I have one that is already 3-4 inches tall and several more coming up. I'd say about 30% are coming through the ground already. I expect the rest will in a few days. I'll try to take pictures.

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