Planting Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)

I had my first taste of sunchokes as a child living in California - a long time ago, Since then, I didn't see sunchokes or Jerusalem artichokes as I knew them, until a couple of years ago when we were shopping in a large Korean grocery market. I looked at my husband, Eric and excitedly showed him the package of three or four tubers on a Styrofoam tray wrapped in cellophane, fully expecting him to reciprocate my enthusiasm but instantly seeing his doubt. After I briefly explained my experience, he agreed that we should at least try them, so we brought them home. 

That was the beginning of the explosion of sunchokes all over our property! I planted the three or four tubers along our driveway envisioning three or four flower plants gracing our yard with tubers for harvesting in the fall. Instead what happened was that I almost forgot about them as our yard became a massive construction site as we lifted our home 8 feet higher for flood protection.

The following spring, I noticed new little plants springing up where I planted them but also several on the other side of the driveway. I let them grow and enjoyed the tall plants and bright yellow flowers after the fall equinox. When the frost killed them back to the ground, I pulled up some of the dried stems and found several tubers under each plant, which I was thrilled to try my hand at cooking. We tried roasting them simply in the oven, boiling them with mashed potatoes, adding them to soups, and really enjoyed our new crop - although they never seemed as good as when I was a child eating them for the first time.

A year later, our yard exploded with sunchokes popping up everywhere. I will mention that we love growing all sorts of plants and are in the process of turning our lawns into food forests so we were not concerned about the invasiveness of this plant since it was not just a food source but also a beautiful flower. However, you can keep them under control by simply mowing the young plant, or planting the tubers in large planters and cutting the blooms before they go to seed.

So just how do you plant sunchokes?

Since sunchokes are often harvested in the late fall, you can plant right away, or store them as you do other flower bulbs, in a slightly damp material like sawdust or sand in an unheated garage in the dark. Either way, you want them to stay dormant until spring.

1. Prepare a hole about 6 inches deep in rich soil with plenty of organic matter and in full sun
2. Set the tuber in the hole and cover with soil, firming the soil until the hole is filled.
3. Water the area lightly if the soil is not damp.
4. Wait for the tuber to grow!

That is really how easy they are. You can plant them in the late fall, or the  middle of winter if you can get a fork in the ground or early in the spring. They are very hardy and don't seem to have many pests, besides maybe some aphids in the early summer.

More info:

According to Wikipedia... "The Jerusalem artichoke, also called sunroot, sunchoke, wild sunflower, topinambur, or earth apple, is a species of sunflower native to central North America. It is cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable."

Growing zones 3-8

Source for buying sunchokes, (from my own plants): Etsy, Wildflower Run

How to Root Black Elderberry Cuttings

Black Elderberries

Elderberry - one of the fastest growing plants is also very quick to form roots on simple hardwood or softwood cuttings. If you have access to healthy black elderberry plants, you should be able to take a few cuttings (with permission, of course) and within just two years, be harvesting your own black elderberries. 

If you take your own cuttings, cut a six to eight inch section of woody stem and make sure to include at least one leaf node at the top, and one or two others lower down if possible. Place the fresh cuttings directly in water as soon as possible

So, given that you now have some black elderberry cuttings in your hand - what next?

Step 1: Identify the correct orientation of the cutting.

Carefully inspect each cutting to determine which end is the top and which is the bottom. Proper orientation is essential, as a cutting placed upside down will not absorb water and will quickly dry out.

Step 2: Use visual cues to confirm orientation.
If leaves are still attached, the top of the cutting will be obvious. If not, examine the leaf nodes along the stem. Each node is wider on the upper side and tapers downward toward the stem. The wider side should always face upward.

Step 3: Mark the bottom of the cutting.

When removing cuttings from the parent plant, make a slanted cut at the bottom end. This angled cut helps you quickly identify the correct orientation later and improves consistency when planting or placing cuttings in water.

Roots forming at the lower leaf node

If you still have a couple of months before winter, place the cuttings in a suitably sized container so that they are more than halfway submerged in water. Set the container in a sunny window and change the water every few days.

Within one to two weeks, you should notice small bumps forming at the base of the cutting. These are the beginnings of roots, which will grow a little more each day. Once you see roots stretching out, it’s time to plant the cuttings—either in their permanent location or into plant pots. Be very gentle when planting to avoid disturbing the new roots, then water well.

Plant elderberries in full sun for the best fruit production. Although they tolerate poor conditions, they perform best in loamy soil with plenty of sunlight and regular water. Keep in mind that elderberries go dormant in winter and burst back to life in early spring.

The first year may seem unimpressive, as the plant focuses on establishing a strong root system and typically sends up only two or three stems. By the second year, however, growth becomes dramatic. Plants can reach over ten feet tall and produce six to twelve arching branches, each bearing large umbels of beautiful black elderberries.

If you don't have cuttings, you can check out my Etsy site, Wildflower Run.

https://wildflowerrun.etsy.com

American Black Elderberry Flowers