Growing in Wandering

How to grow jerusalem artichoke in Wandering

Helianthus tuberosus

Also called sunchoke, sunroot, topinambur, earth apple

Frost in Wandering rules out the temperate zone's usual months for jerusalem artichoke. Ask the growers at your garden what works locally.

A sunflower from central North America, the Jerusalem artichoke is grown for uneven tubers that are eaten as a root vegetable. They look a little like ginger root, feel crisp and crunchy when raw and range from pale brown and white to red or purple. Plants reach 1.5 to 3 m with yellow flowers.

When to sow in Wandering

Wandering, WA is in the temperate zone. The zone also plants in Jun to Nov, but Wandering's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.

Matches local guides.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Wandering

Frost usually arrives in Wandering around late April and finishes by early November. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late March or as late as late November, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: can spread

Any tuber left behind regrows, so it can take over a plot. Grow it in a tub or ask your garden first.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly in the bed
Sowing depth
10cm
Plant spacing
30cm
Row spacing
45cm
Height
300cm
Time to harvest
250 days
Frost
Frost tender
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
perennial

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Jerusalem Artichoke elsewhere

Jerusalem Artichoke across Australia