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Jerusalem artichoke: growing
Jerusalem artichoke in the common people is called an earthen pear and the root crop has been grown for a very long time not only in Russia, but all over the world. The fact is that this culture is rich in vitamins and is very useful for health, and it is unpretentious in care and storage.
Growing Jerusalem artichoke root vegetable
Growing an earthen pear is similar to planting a potato because the tubers are used for planting. In care, the plant is unpretentious and feels good in any soil, although top dressing will not be superfluous.
Jerusalem artichoke is a treasure trove of useful microelements!
Planting is carried out either in the spring, when the soil has warmed up enough, or in the fall, before winter. In both cases, the soil must be prepared in advance, for this they dig up the area where it is planned to plant the crop to the depth of one shovel and mix the soil with humus. If you plan to plant tubers before winter, then carry out the process of preparing the soil 3 weeks before planting root crops. In the case of spring sowing, dig up the soil in the fall before the frost begins, do not break large blocks of earth and do not loosen the soil, otherwise it will settle under the snow and it will be difficult to loosen it in early spring.
In spring, for planting, you can use both whole and cut tubers, but before winter, only whole root crops will fit for sowing.
When planting a culture, you can use phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, they are placed in small quantities in the holes where the roots are placed.
Jerusalem artichoke vegetable seeds are used only by breeders, since it is rather difficult to grow plants from them at home.
How to choose a place for sowing?
Jerusalem artichoke is a perennial plant, and it grows up to 3 meters high. It bears fruit for 5 years without reducing the yield, and in subsequent years the tubers become smaller. The plant loves sunlight and is susceptible to stagnant water, which is bad for root crops. Jerusalem artichoke in the photo resembles a yellow chamomile and the plant itself is beautiful, although for better yield it is recommended to cut the buds so that all the forces go to the roots.
Considering these characteristics of the crop, choose a planting site more carefully. A well-lit place along the fence is best, so the earthen pear will not shade other crops in the garden.
An earthen pear is unpretentious to care for, it is not worth watering it often, 10-15 liters per plant during the dry period, if the summer is rainy, then refrain from watering. The seedlings are fed only when planting, the rest of the time this is not necessary. To grow larger tubers, the inflorescences are cut off, so the plants will give all their strength to the root system.
To prevent the stems from falling and breaking when the plants reach a height of 1 m, they are tied to sticks or a rubber-coated rod is pulled and the stems are tied to it with strings.
Tubers are best stored in the ground, therefore, in the fall, they dig out the amount of fruit that is needed for the winter. Root crops are able to withstand temperatures down to -40 degrees. In the spring, you can harvest again, but the main thing is to have time before the warming, so that the tubers do not start sprouting.
The dug up roots are stored in a cool dry place in a wooden box along with a few apples. The same storage method is for potatoes. If there is no basement, then a refrigerator or an insulated balcony will do.
Before wintering, tubers in the ground can be insulated by sprinkling them with foliage or straw on top. But if the winter is expected to be warm, then this is not necessary. Jerusalem artichoke is eaten both raw and boiled, but do not forget that more useful microelements are stored in the raw root vegetable.