Jerusalem Artichokes - how to multiply fastest

I planted 25 or so tubers last year. They did fairly well . I am interested in this batch for stock not this years food. If I leave them where they are will they multiply or do I need to dig them up and replant? I have too many other projects right now. I have heard they become woodier as they stay in ground but I assume they will form better eating tubers if I replant later. Right now I am just interested in forming a huge patch then to become bigger patches. What results have you all had ?

Yes, they will multiply just fine if you leave them alone, though it takes a few years. Some disturbance / division of the tubers will speed up the process greatly, like it does with wild stands of sunchokes. I'd dig a few up and divide them into 3 or 4 and replant. If you do the same every time you harvest in the future, the patch will grow larger and healthier every year.

wayne stephen wrote:I planted 25 or so tubers last year. They did fairly well . I am interested in this batch for stock not this years food. If I leave them where they are will they multiply or do I need to dig them up and replant? I have too many other projects right now. I have heard they become woodier as they stay in ground but I assume they will form better eating tubers if I replant later. Right now I am just interested in forming a huge patch then to become bigger patches. What results have you all had ?

Exactly right...
- leave them alone and they will grow and expand your patch
- dig them up and divide, and they will grow and expand much faster
If you planted 25 last year, you should have plenty to divide and double the size of your patch if you want to.

You might also try planting some of the extras in containers.
- a 5-gallon bucket with rich compost will grow several pounds of sunchokes to eat next year
- plant a couple in some 1-gal pots, to share with your friends

I took a large handful from my patch and planted along a walking path near my house.
It's a semi-wild area, so I will now have a secondary patch as well.

I'd say the scales have tipped towards digging and transplanting. Thanks

If I want to store them in a pot over the winter, how must I take care of them ?
I just threw them in a bucket with some slightly moist compost and put them in the dark crawlspace. Will they rot? Will they make it untill next may?
Should I just rebury the bucket in the garden?
Should they be dry or moist?

I agree with everyone about dividing them so maybe this adds nothing to the conversation but if you are really wanting to multiply them the fastest then divide them even more than 3 or 4 times.  Cultivariable says he sees no difference in growth from those he cuts into two inch pieces so that might be best for output but not the fastest rate of multiplying- I can't say yield is better scientifically but mine was fine this year despite digging them up the first year and cutting all the knobs off of big pieces (an inch or less often times).  From my experience you can cut them up even smaller to get more.  In fact, I threw a bunch of very small pieces (most a 1/4th of an inch or so) I had cut for cooking and tossed them into a pot for compost and they are now growing which surprised me a bit.  One big tuber could give me ten or more new plants.  I went from 40ish originally and ended up planting about 500 that year plus eating it for personal and family meals a bit.  I had so many this year I planted with the biggest tuber available to see if that changed output and if I did cut I never cut smaller than 2 inches.  I had one mega tuber I probably could've cut into 25 or more individual plants if I really wanted to.  Nature is truly amazing, such a shame this isn't taught to little kids.  

If you dig them and replant with ample spacing, then one plant from last year can turn into hundreds of plants this year, and tens of thousands on plants next year.