I've mentioned before that I have some Jerusalem artichokes I'm trying out. Because of dire posts from other bloggers like this one, I have been growing them in pots. I actually haven't actually gotten around to eating any yet.
This year I had a few come up in one pot--another variety whose name I forget didn't thrive and never came back--and I planted another one. I got everything from Oikos, which seems to have the best selection I've found anywhere.
I think what I have growing are Blue Eye and Gute Gelbe, but I'm not sure. I went for tubers that were relatively smooth and without branches, figuring these would be easy to clean. The blogger above indicated that some say you should leave some of the dirt attached to reduce flatulence, but ... no.
I've got a decent--maybe too decent--crop this year. The survivors did well, and so did the new ones. I didn't get them into the pot quickly enough, so there was some mold in the bag when I opened them. I didn't know if they'd survive at all, but they did. I'm definitely wary of putting them in the ground with no boundaries; I can believe that they'd rapidly expand their territory.
A few things I've noticed this year: aphids adore them. Both varieties have been heavily-hit by aphids. The new type is showing no signs of blooming, but the survivor variety did form bulbs--most of which were eaten by something before opening. One bloom is open now. Both types have resident green lynx spiders. They seem to be doing a decent job on the aphids, or maybe the aphids are just disappearing due to other factors.
The spiders fattened themselves on bugs for a while, then one of them made an egg sac. It was amazing to me how much her abdomen shrank. She currently seems to be just guarding the eggs. The one on the blooming plant probably went somewhere else to lay eggs, and vanished about the same time.
This fall I plan to harvest the tubers, then decide where to take things next.
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