Before You Plant Sunchokes, You Need to Read This Post
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Sunchokes (AKA Jerusalem artichokes) are gaining popularity for their health benefits. I’m sharing how to grow sunchokes, when to harvest and how to use them – plus the big mistake that we made when we first planted them.
Table of Contents
What are Sunchokes?
Sunchokes are native to eastern North America. They are also known as Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunroots. They are not related to Artichokes, but they are related to sunflowers. The whole “Jerusalem” thing is supposedly linked to the Italian word girasola, which means sunflower.
Sunchokes are a perennial plant that grows six to ten feet tall. While they do have pretty yellow flowers, most people grow them for their edible roots. Their roots are high in inulin, and eaten raw or cooked.
Historically, Native American valued them as a food source, especially during late winter when food supplies run low.
How do you Grow Sunchokes?
Grow sunchokes from roots or sections of root, planted in spring or fall while roots are dormant. You can grow the plants from seed, but starting with tubers is easier and faster.
For best results, use the following planting guidelines:
- The plants prefer loose, well-drained soil, but will tolerate poor soils. (Lighter soil makes harvesting easier.)
- Space sunchoke tubers 12 to 18 inches apart, 4 to 6 inches deep.
- Space rows 4-6 feet apart (they will be prone to spreading).
- Soil temperature at planting should be at least 50°F.
- Plant in full sun.
- Do not plant in areas that are consistently wet, as wet soil will rot the tubers. Plants are drought tolerant, but produce best will a regular supply of water.
- pH of soil best between 5.8 and 6.2 (neutral soil)
- Preferred growing temps = 65 to 90 F.
- Cover your soil with an inch or so of organic mulch for easier harvesting and root protection.
- Plant in a dedicated bed that can be mowed around for control. Or sink barriers into the soil around the sunchokes at least 24 inches deep to prevent spreading. (More on this below.)
When are they Ready to Harvest?
Harvest sunchokes in late fall or early spring. They require 110 -150 days to maturity, depending on the variety and growing conditions. Light frost increases the sweetness of the tubers.
Unlike potatoes and some other root crops, sunchokes do not store well. Their skin is thin and dries out easily. I keep them in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. They keep best in the ground, dug as needed for use.
In northern areas, a thick layer of mulch may keep your tubers accessible longer. It may also encourage mice or voles to move in and have a snack, but there’s usually enough to share.
For bigger roots, avoid crowding plants and water regularly. You can also cut off flower stalks to encourage root growth. Please don’t cut off all your sunchoke flowers! They flower late in the season, when pollinators have few flower choices.
How do I Eat Jerusalem Artichokes?
Sunchokes are edible raw or cooked, including the skins. They are difficult to peel and turn grey quite quickly, so a good scrubbing is a better option.
Raw, sunchokes are similar in texture to a water chestnut or jicama. After a light frost, they take on a somewhat nutty flavor. For my part, they taste best raw after a frost.
See Jerusalem Artichoke Recipes for easy recipes and cooking tips.
Do Sunchokes Cause Gas?
Sunchokes are loaded with inulin. Inulin is a type of starch that acts as a prebiotic in the digestive tract, feeding our beneficial bacteria.
Inulin is a widely used filler in many foods to bump up the fiber counts. It also increases calcium absorption in the body, and doesn’t spike blood sugar. There are even sweeteners made for diabetics made out of sunchokes.
See Jerusalem Artichoke Benefits: Nutrition, Flavor, and Uses for more information.
Eating a large amount of sunchokes may lead to “mild gas”. They have the nickname “fartichokes”.
I can verify that eating a large portion of boiled sunchokes will give you horrible, gut-racking gas like you have never experienced before… except for that one time when you were pregnant and thought it was a good idea to eat prunes, cheese curds and cucumbers in large amounts all at the same time.
Start slowly when eating sunchokes, and perhaps avoid serving them in large quantities at dinner parties. Give your digestive system time to build up the right bacteria to deal with the extra inulin.
Readers have suggested a couple of different tips to beat sunchoke gas. One suggested that you eat some sunchokes raw, and don’t scrub all the dirt off.
I assume that some soil microbes come with to help aid digestion. Another reader says that harvesting after frost is a big help, as the frost naturally breaks down some of the inulin for you.
A Word of Caution About Growing Sunchokes
“Easy to grow” and “disease-free through heat and drought” are code words for “You will Never Get Rid of this Plant!”
When I first planted sunchokes, I skimmed over the note in the seed catalog that said “they will spread and may be invasive”.
I planted my tubers late in spring, in one corner of a garden bed. There were nine rather wrinkled little roots, and I didn’t think they would all survive. Not only did they survive, they thrived. We tried to harvest the whole patch that first year, but must have missed a few.
The next spring they were back, and they were spreading. We tried to keep up eating them, but the fall was muddy and we couldn’t get in to harvest.
By the third season, we had the lovely thicket of 12 foot tall flowers you see at the post. As I was digging them in fall, I tossed some damaged roots off into the tall grass away from the garden.
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Sunchokes Spread from the Smallest Bit of Tuber
Fast forward to spring. Those root bits haphazardly thrown into the weeds – they’ve now sprouted into plants. There’s a new sunchoke colony.
I decide to get rid of extra sunchokes. Two friends come over.
Four different adults attack the patch. Bushels and bushels of sunchokes leave the garden. The patch size is reduced roughly by half to start the spring.
Time passes. My boys work the bed again. They remove more sunchokes from the same area that the adults have already gone over.
Before I put the transplants in, I work over the same area one more time. THERE ARE STILL SUNCHOKES COMING UP! This area has been gone over by four adults and two kids, and there are still sunchokes hiding in the dirt.
Here’s the main patch. You can see the smaller outliers in the foreground. That area should be clear.
Here’s a nice, innocent looking sunchoke seedling.
Once we dig it up, we see that this single tuber is trying to regrow an entire sunchoke thicket.
Even tiny pieces, no bigger than the tip of my thumb, can regrow entire large, vigorous plants.
They’re virtually unstoppable. Weeks later, and I’m still digging up shoots from among my cabbage seedlings.
Plan Ahead with Your Sunchoke Plantings
I urge you, do not plant sunchokes anywhere else you might like to grow other plants at some time in the future. You will spend very large amounts of time attempting to remove them if you do.
Plant them in their own area that you can mow around, to keep them under control. You can also plant them in pots – as long as they are big pots. Try one tuber per 18 inch diameter pot. Look for varieties that naturally grow shorter, and have an option for providing support if needed.
My neighbor says her horseradish plants are the same way. Plant both at your own risk. Maybe we should plant them next to each other, to see which one wins.
Alternatively, introduce pigs or chickens into your sunchoke area and let them tackle clean up duty. Jerusalem artichokes make a fine fodder crop.
What Tries to Take Over Your Garden?
Sunchokes are good for you. They look pretty, taste okay, and are quite expensive to buy in many areas, if they are available at all.
They’re a “perfect” choice for a new exotic vegetable to try. I just wanted to let you know that you’re likely to have a lifetime commitment with them once they enter your garden. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Are there any other plants you’ve grown that want to take over your garden? Leave a comment to warn other gardeners before they end up fighting them, too.
Also, if you could include in your comments roughly what area you are from, that would be great. Some plants will spread in some locations but not in others.
This article is written by Laurie Neverman. Laurie and her family have 35 acres in northeast Wisconsin. They grow dozens of varieties of fruiting trees, shrubs, brambles, and vines, along with an extensive annual garden. Along with her passion for growing nutrient dense food, she also enjoys ancient history, adorable ducks, and lifelong learning.
Originally published in 2012, last updated in 2026.
i am forewarned.
thank you for this entertaining and informative article (and the comments).
i bought some sunchokes and plan to put a few of them for eating purposes in a Sunchoke Containment Facility (a large plastic planter or half of a wine barrel). the rest will be introduced to a very bad area of “soil” in my back yard. i think it was used by previous owners as a parking area. it is very compacted and consists mainly of tree roots and 1-inch stone gravel, suitable for paving.
i will also plant comfrey and watch them duke it out.
Borage and sweet potatoes spread like crazy too. In my last home o get borage 1 year and it spread from my one plant in my raised bed to them invading my entire yard, lol. And sweet potatoes, been pulling them out every week and more are still popping up.
That’s interesting. Borage I have, and it spreads, but around here sweet potatoes are well behaved, even timid growers.
Thank you so much for this article, very helpful! I planted tubers in a raised bed. Do you think they will spread outside of the bed? It’s constructed from metal sheeting about 2.5 feet high, with the bottom third filled with old firewood. I did not put hardware cloth or landscape fabric between the bed and the ground, and now I’m having nightmares about sunchokes 😂
Given the height of the bed, they probably won’t spread. They tend to stay within the top 6 to 12 inches of soil. I can’t 100% guarantee no spreading, but I don’t think they will launch a hostile takeover of the surrounding area immediately.
We have a small garden in Woodstock Ontario (Canada). I have one sealed-off 4×8′ bed for my Horseradish, Catnip, J.Arts and Comfrey. The catnip and Comfrey both spread despite my efforts.
I have three other sealed-off 3×3′ beds for spearmint, peppermint and lemon balm. the lemon balm is well behaved, but the spearmint is everywhere. I pull it up year-round from places it should not be. It’s a good thing that I like it for my various tea blends, balms & salves.
We live out in the country. Would these be ok to plant in the road ditches? I thought they would look pretty in the fall but I don’t plan on harvesting them. Just let them go. Am I asking for trouble? Oh another thing a wooded area would be behind these so they won’t get all day sun
They can get rather tall, so I don’t think whoever’s responsible for mowing your ditches would be happy with the addition. With the edible tubers, it’s also possible that wildlife might be attracted to the roadside, and end up being hit on the road.
They can start to bloom mid-summer and would be better as a tall background in a flower bed. Laurie is right, and if you have bears or feral pigs, they’ll collapse the ditch rooting the tubers out. Even deer and cattle have been known to dig for them but usually stick to the tops.
I grow mine in a large raised garden bed. It’s on a concrete path with wheels attached. I like parking it outside my bedroom window so I get the benefit of shade on a hot. I
wouldn’t dare grow them in the ground ! They make a delicious cream soup for cold winter days. Priscilla
I planted them next to horse Radish, the Sunchokes are winning…. LOL
Good to know. What type of soil do you have?
I wonder if you keep weed eating around the area, whether it might help keep them in check. Growing them in a raised bed might also help. I’ll be trying these ideas out.
Mowing definitely slows them down, though it doesn’t completely stop them. We mow around our beds and shoots regularly attempt to pop up in the grass.
Living in the American southwest our soil isn’t so much soil as it is dirt and caliche underneath. We are also hitting 70s in February with 110s not uncommon come true summer time. Do you still think they’d find a way to spread so aggressively?
If yes, great! What kind of barrier are we talking about for them? I’d love to plant along the edges of my garden space but can’t have them taking down the wall on the one side. Maybe I need to rethink placement?
I don’t have personal experience growing in caliche, but what I’m finding withe research (which makes sense) is that the roots may struggle with the compacted soil, leading to smaller harvests. Getting the roots out may also be a challenge if they are stuck in the hardpan. The high summer temps (above 90F) will stress the plants, so plenty of water is a must for root development.
Some type of below soil divider is a good idea to keep them in their spot. I’d opt for something that reaches at least a foot below ground. Concrete blocks, metal sheeting – anything durable without gaps to let roots sneak through.
Nice article, but I have to greatly disagree with storage life. I believe in growing Stampede or one that looks similar. I hose off the dirt and fill gallon ziplock bags and place them in the fridge. They’ve lasted from March until we finished them in December.
Interesting. What kind of growing conditions do you have, and what type of fridge? (If you don’t mind sharing.) Our sunchokes are on lower ground, so while not waterlogged, they do have plenty of moisture most years. Wondering if you might have drier conditions, or if different varieties last longer in storage. I’ve seen quite a few people note that the roots don’t hold terribly well for them, either, so it would be helpful to identify types that last better. Our new fridge doesn’t tend to keep vegetables as well as our old fridge did – too airtight.
I’ve grown Jerusalem Artichokes in the Wichita Falls, Texas area for many years. I’ve never had the digestive issues we read about. If I want them clear of an area, I simply stop watering them; the North Texas heat & drought will kill them off entirely in a year or 2. My Grandparents grew them & fed them to milk cows & draught horses without any issues.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Good to know. I’m thinking I’d have similar results in inland socal. We get an average of 11 inches of rain per year, primarily in winter. Summer temps are in the 90s, and occasionally 100+. Seems similar to your area, but drier. I think I might risk it 🤔
I enjoyed your article. My wife and I grew sunchokes 30 years ago or so and really loved them. That ended when borer worms found them and destroyed our patch. They became difficult to find in local stores but we always had fond memories. I am tempted to try them again.
Interesting. Any idea what sort of borer? When there are pest issues in the garden, my default strategy is to look at soil and plant health. Often, a calcium based foliar feed can help balance the soil and boost plant defenses, making them more resistant to insect damage.
Hi Laurie, I started growing Jerusalem Artichokes years ago when I first heard Jack Spirko say they were a great survival food. I’m in Michigan, and they seem to love the weather better than I do. They do tend to spread, but I have them along the walkway between my garage and garden, so controlling them isn’t difficult. They pull up easily, or I run over them with my mower early in the spring to add to my compost. The plants, not the tubers. I love the natural “wall” they create during the summer months. I can’t wait to try a couple of your recipes from your Jerusalem Artichoke Recipes post.
I agree with the survival food aspect, for livestock as well as humans. We have a number of patches established now, all from discards. The bees like them and the area is semi-wild, so it’s not a problem. I did give up trying to keep them from taking over the garden bed, as no matter how hard we tried to keep them from spreading, they did it anyway.
I love this article plus the comments. Maybe, if you re-post it, The Powers That Be will have it move further up in people’s Algorithms?
Please keep those notes coming. I’m in Chattanooga, TN, US, and I have them contained in an outside shallow bed. I planted dewberries nearby separated by a vintage azalea bush. I’m tempted to pull the azalea to watch them fight it out but will give the dewberries two more years to grow recruits
: )
Truly appreciate the advice to this gardener who is attempting to be more disciplined with her yard.
All my best, Ella
I live and grow in SE Louisiana in zone 9b. Are there varieties of sunchokes that stand up best to the heat and high humidity of our summers? Would it make sense to grow them where they would receive light shade in midday? As for invasive crops, I have had some issue with bitter melon. They love our hot summers. I’ve grown the dark green kind that can get lost in the leafy vines. If they are not picked before ripening, they break open and drop their seeds, which invariably sprout new plants. They are controlled by plucking up the seedlings early before they set deep roots.
Some potential varieties to try:
White Fuseau: Highly productive with smooth, white skin, and very few, if any, side nodules, making them easy to clean.
Red Fuseau: A popular, high-yielding variety with smooth red skin.
Stampede: A very early maturing, high-yield variety that produces large white, knobby tubers.
Dwarf Sunray: A more compact (dwarf) variety that is excellent for smaller spaces or containers, producing tubers close to the main stem.
Clearwater & Passamaquoddy: Other popular cultivars known for good production.
Full sun is supposed to be okay as long as they get enough water, but I’m sure some shade wouldn’t hurt. They also don’t like standing water/wet soil, which can cause the roots to rot. you might want to check around with local gardeners or in sale or swap groups. If someone in the area grows them, odds are they will have enough tubers to share.
Thanks for the quick reply and good advice. I am looking into Dwarf Sunray. I grow in raised beds and have a couple of places I could put a new one. A shorter variety would be about right I think.
I don’t think I have ever read through a blog post in my life. I’m a chronic skimmer. But I actually read this and AND ENJOYED IT. My husband even peaked over my shoulder at your fartichoke joke 😂
I’m glad that you enjoyed it. Sunchokes are a “gift that keeps on giving”, so I wanted everyone to have fair warning. I should update the article again, as we now have – let me think – at least four different volunteer patches. I don’t mind, as those areas of the yard are semi-wild, and the pollinators love them in fall. I gave up trying to plant anything else in that garden bed. It’s been fully turned over to the sunchokes, and we mow around them to keep them from spreading.
I’m just learning about this plants and with the rising cost of food, it appears to be a sensible option. can Sunchokes be grown in containers?
Yes, you can grow them in large containers. They need regular watering, plenty of room, and made need staking or some sort of support because the plants can get quite tall.
Some varieties do very well in large containers, some don’t. Do your best to find out the spread of the tubers from the crown before you buy them. Some only spread over one foot from the crown while others spread way over 4 feet. I have a type of Stampede that spreads a bit over a foot from the crown. That means they need over 2 feet of width. They grow, but not well in 5 gallon containers. They do very well in larger containers. I have several cooler liners that are 4 feet long by 2 1/2 feet high by 3 feet wide. Raised beds would also work. It also helps to get ones that don’t grow over 6 or 8 feet tall to minimize having to stake them from wind.
Thanks, Blaine.