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Post by circumspice on Jun 22, 2012 14:11:39 GMT -5
Does anyone here grow Chinese artichoke? (stachys affinis) I have heard that it tastes much better than Jerusalem artichoke. I've also heard that it is invasive & that the tubers are so small that it is hardly worth the trouble to grow. Any opinions?
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Post by rowan on Jun 22, 2012 15:27:05 GMT -5
I grow Chinese artichoke. I like it even though it does spread a bit. You can control it just like Jerusalem artichoke though - either make a physical barrier or, if you have room and poultry, put a temporary hen pen around it for a week. The tubers only grow just under the soil so it is easy for the chickens to scratch them out.
Also, they are prone to chemical herbicides.
They are nothing at all like Jerusalem artichokes in taste, growth, anything.
Anyway... The tubers are small but they are give a lovely crunch to stir-fries and salads. You don't have to peel (luckily), just scrub and eat. They can be eaten raw or cooked and taste a bit nutty but no strong flavour. They make a nice groundcover or grow then under taller vegetables like yacon or corn (as long as you don't pull those taller vegetables before the artichoke tubers are ready.
I have grown them in full sun and part shade, even under 50% shadecloth and they bear well in all situations. Just manure before planting and keep the water up in summer. Wait till they die down in the winter before digging the tubers. I don't know if they are day neutral so if you live closer to the equator you may need to leave them as long as possible to get tubers.
I reckon this is a crop that could do with some breeding work - larger tubers, stop discolouring after being dug and, if they are day sensitive, to fix that for people in warmer areas.
I find that they are not a bother so I don't mind growing them even though the tubers are small. They give a reasonable harvest (never weighed it though) of about three handfuls per plant and are easy to get along with. They will grow and bear in large pots.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Jun 22, 2012 17:23:04 GMT -5
yup, not a whole lot of flavor at all, but good crunchy texture. also not anywhere near the yields of j.art...
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Post by circumspice on Jun 22, 2012 22:33:00 GMT -5
Rowan ~ How deep does the physical barrier need to be to keep them from spreading? Or would it be better to put them in a raised bed while I trial them for my area? Are they more easily propagated from roots, cuttings or seed? I like your idea of putting a chicken pen over the bed. It seems like a good way to feed the chickens & maybe keep it under control too.
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Post by rowan on Jun 22, 2012 22:40:53 GMT -5
Raised beds are fine but since their roots are not very deep any barrier of 15cm or so in the soil will do. I use some roofing iron cut-off, but bricks with plastic on the inner side will suffice, as long as the soil is well drained.
They grow quite well from small tubers or from cuttings. Like many vegetative propagated tuberous plants I have found them reluctant to flower so I have never got seeds off mine.
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Post by mountaindweller on Jun 23, 2012 0:59:17 GMT -5
I bought one plant and planted it in shade. Now the tops died down. Do I simply leave some tubers in the ground or plant them right away? Our soil does not really freeze here.
BTW I find Jerusalem Artichockes not that bad for example, I mix them with other root vegetables for the Sunday roast and that is quite nice. Maybe we should start a thread best recipes for Jerusalem Artichockes.
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Post by rowan on Jun 23, 2012 1:25:48 GMT -5
You can replant some tubers immediately if you choose. I keep the tubers that I will be replanting till spring in a pot of just damp potting mix, then I rework the soil, manure it, then after a couple of weeks put the tubers in. I don't think it really matters what you do. They will be fine whatever you decide.
The reason I don't replant immediately is because I like to keep the plants separate and in tidy rows rather than having the tubers all over the place but it may not matter that much to you. I just like to start anew every year.
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Post by ottawagardener on Jun 23, 2012 7:05:30 GMT -5
Yes, I grow it. The flavour is less strong that Jerusalem Artichoke. Mine are allowed to run amuck as a ground cover and I use them as a minor crop. I do replant immediately but I'm sure, like rowan says, they do fine with a bit of a lag.
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Post by MikeH on Jun 23, 2012 7:30:22 GMT -5
Or would it be better to put them in a raised bed while I trial them for my area? We had ours in an eight inch raised bed and found them growing outside it - they had jumped the fence. This is perhaps not surprising since they are in the mint family. We're growing them in Rubbermaid containers this year to contain them and to make harvest easier. We'll simply turn the container over. Harvest what we want, replenish the growing medium, and then replant for next year. If this system works well, we'll expand it to the amount of crosnes we want. |
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Post by circumspice on Jun 28, 2012 18:58:51 GMT -5
All your comments are encouraging news for me. Oftentimes I hear or read about a perennial vegetable or fruit that sounds great at first blush, then find out that it has some undesirable trait. Sometimes it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff... It's great to have somewhere to go to ask for insights & opinions. That's why I'll be bugging y'all for info on all sorts of plants now & in the future.  |
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