Sunchokes Aren't That Invasive

[@somethingiswrong1916]

I have had trouble with these in the past. Deer literally dig them up. An advantage is that you can plant beans along with them and I assume probably squash underneath and all around them to supress other weeds. It's kind of a modified 3 sisters garden.

[@michaelsallee7534]

I have plans for future beds; no worries, in fact, will need to protect them. will plant in my pastures, controlling their spread with Boer goats.

[@EileenHagerman]

Invasiveness is not just defined by how aggressive or hard to get rid of a plant is. By definition, a plant cannot be invasive where it is native, so if you're growing sunchokes where they're native to the ecosystem, they are not invasive. Aggressive yes. Invasive no. While not all non-native plants are invasive, those that are extremely aggressive and push out native species are, in fact, invasive. The difference between native aggressive plants and non-native invasive plants is that the former evolved along with the insects and other critters in its region and is a component of the ecosystem and may in fact protect areas from colonization by invasive species. My friend refers to these aggressive native plants as "bouncers" when they are used in this way. And the latter--true invasive species--are growing aggressively where they did not evolve, where there are few, if any, insects or other critters to keep them in check or benefit from them. They degrade rather than protecting or contributing to the ecosystem. It isn't always so black and white, of course, because sometimes you have situations where things, like black walnut, for example, are moving just north of their native range and pushing out existing native species, but most of the insects and critters who depend on them and feed on them have ranges that overlap between eco-regions, so they can still contribute a great deal even while being disruptive and one could easily argue that they have a more positive impact than, say, tree of heaven in the same landscape.

[@sleeplessinthecarolinas8118]

Great harvest in that log cabin garden bed. Thanks for your informative vblog!

[@maritimegardening4887]

Thanks

[@kevinw9073]

I plant some in 5 gallon buckets and get huge harvest. Wait till spring to harvest some, and they will taste even sweeter.

[@patriciamora34]

Can you leave them in the pots over winter? Wouldn’t that kill them?

[@rosewood513]

@@patriciamora34 Nothing seems to kill them they just keep on growing.

[@rosewood513]

Kevin, I did that this year even with my two raised beds. Thanks for confirming I am not wasting my time.

[@PinkSlippers70]

Alone in the Wilderness !! My fave all time PBS show ...that guy was amazing

[@maritimegardening4887]

Yes, I love that documentary.

[@spoolsandbobbins]

Another great video Greg! Thanks so much. I’m absolutely curious on their taste and will probably order some from your sponsor for spring!

[@maritimegardening4887]

Thanks! I don't think Veseys sells them though. If you live in NS, there are other places to order them from: www.annapolisseeds.com/Clearwater-Sunchokes-p/663.htm

[@shelly5596]

I grew sunchokes at our last place and had them in a raised bed for 3 years. Rhey finally started to bust apart the boards and coming up the outside. I had placed hardware cloth on the bottom of that bed to detour wild rabbits and moles. I like them best raw and sliced thin for eating, but boy do they make me farty! Haha.. anyway I have a sunchoke soup recipe I wish I could share. I watched your cleaning up the garden video and taking out your cucumbers. Then I wanted to share a recipe called Bucket pickles. They are very similar in taste to what's called bread and butter pickles you buy.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I like them roasted. Taste good raw - but I get bad cramps if I eat them that way - so baked is the way for me. They get a nice smoky smell as well when you roast them

[@annestudley8235]

My two beds don't take over either, though they do slowly spread. I found that the ones that had spread into unamended soil produced much more chokes than the ones I had in rich soil, so maybe they prefer poor soil. I can't believe how dry your bed is at this time of year. All of the soil in my yard in Halifax is soaked!

[@maritimegardening4887]

That spot is under a huge tree, and I guess it just doesn't get any rain.

[@margaretjohnson4413]

Thanks this makes sense.@@maritimegardening4887

[@RaechelleJ]

I harvest about 4lbs of chokes pretty for my little bit I planted

[@maritimegardening4887]

Awesome!

[@Silvereagledude]

Good stuff

[@sandram.johnson2754]

My raspberries almost totally choked out my sunchokes. Might try a couple rows of of each, alternating across my yard

[@maritimegardening4887]

I would definitely not recommend planting them together :)

[@smhollanshead]

Greg, when do you plant sunchokes? Did I hear you say you plant sunchokes in October and November? Can you also plant sunchokes in the Spring?

[@maritimegardening4887]

you can plant them anytime, but if you are growing them you harvest and replant in oct/nov - mainly because they taste much better after a few frosts

[@smhollanshead]

@@maritimegardening4887 thanks.

[@GardensGuitars]

Great video, thanks for this and for your video about how to store sunchokes. I’ve always heard that they were invasive, but I think that’s only true in dry midwestern regions where they are native. I do most of my sunchokes in pots because the ground is too wet all the time and tubers usually rot. I’m in zone 9, in a swamp. It’s a bit too wet here for sunflowers, but sunchokes are a bit hardier. Luckily our winters are a little drier than our summers, so I might try to leave some sunchokes in the ground for winter storage. I harvested some last week and put them in the fridge and they were soft and spongy and gross within a week. I can get ok tuber harvests if I plant them in high and dry raised beds, but large fabric pots seem to be the safest option to prevent tuber rot. I have swamp muck soil on top of clay. Maybe if my environment were less soggy, sunchokes would be invasive. As it stands, I have to put work into keeping them high and dry just to get a decent crop.

[@maritimegardening4887]

High an dry makes a lot of sense where you are :)

[@margaretjohnson4413]

Thanks for this information I am also on clay with a fairly wet soil. I will certainly try pots.

[@margaretjohnson4413]

Just caught this video. I am looking at different varieties of Sunchokes as some seem to be more invasive than others. can you tell me which variety you have. some seem to grow compact tubers while others are long and thin and would seem to be more likely to be invasive. Thanks in advance

[@maritimegardening4887]

I think they are all equal in terms of their ability to spread. Don't worry about - try different ones and go with the ones that taste best to you

[@margaretjohnson4413]

Thank you. for the advice I may try growing different varieties in large pots to try out different ones. @@maritimegardening4887

[@johnhazaras3160]

I can attest to sunchokes growing in very hard clayish soil and they are very big. The problem is they don't store well unless they are stored in slightly moist soil. Once the freeze occurs in our zone I won't be able to harvest them throughout the winter. Plus it's in an open field that will be covered in lots of snow. So I harvested all.my sunchokes and then I dug a big hole in one of my beds that has soft organic soil. I put them in single layers covered by organic soil probably 3 or 4 levels deep. I then covered the spot with 2 hay bales for insulation. Theoretically I will be able to get them when I want them and they should be well preserved but we'll see. If I had room in my garage I could have layered them in plastic pails or totes covered by organic soil by I have no more room in my garage. It would be much easier in the garage or shed. Still I'm hoping to get them when I need them. They are gassy but as your system gets used to them the volume of gas goes down lol. I did leave some tubers in the clay soil because they did really well but it was a very sunny location and they grew 12 to 15 feet tall with beautiful flowers in late August. I had covered them with hay mulch and I don't think I watered at all or maybe a couple of times in may. It's been freezing weather here this week and my compost piles are still quite hot which is amazing. Time to hibernate

[@somethingiswrong1916]

Well... can't you just either power through the frozen dirt, or wait until it warms up to about 40 degrees or so? Maybe pour hot water on the soil and then dig? I like plant-and-forget crops for times of famine...

[@UrbanHomesteadMomma]

This is one vegetable/plant I’ve never tried... but it sounds like it’s pretty easy to grow and looks nice too. I may need to give them a try. Thanks for the video Edit to add: where do you buy your sunchokes? I know you’ve had yours a while so if anyone else knows where to get them... I’ve searched Veseys and they don’t appear to have them.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I got mine from mt kids school. There are a few places in NS where you can but them. www.annapolisseeds.com/Clearwater-Sunchokes-p/663.htm

[@jinde75]

I recommend trying them first. I grew them and found I don’t like them at all. Now they are at my neighbours too…

[@NewYorkJennifer]

Probably depends where you are located, but I see there are quite a few sunchokes for sale on Etsy.com, if people are looking for them, or check Kijiji in Canada. I planted a few last spring in a really poor location because it was one of those "I think I'd like to try them" deals, and when they arrived I was stymied on where to put them. Didn't see anything for a very long time, and then in September I was looking over the area and saw two odd plants that I had never seen before. So five knobs of them in a poor area started two plants for me. I didn't dig them, just left them to see if they'll make a go of it next spring. It's fun trying new things. :)

[@maritimegardening4887]

Thanks for the suggestion on where to find them :)

[@babochon]

Your title caught my eyes. Thanks for the info. Do you know how tolerant they are from deer or rabbits?

[@maritimegardening4887]

They don't bother them at all in my experience - I have both of those on my property, and the sunchokes that grow outside the fenced enclosure are not bothered by them

[@lionolee5480]

Maybe you need a bright solar light to scare them off i don’t know if it will work but it might be worth a try

[@Celestes_Nest]

Thanks so much for this!!!

[@thisearththeonlyheaven]

Oh for some rampant sunchokes! They rot in the soil too easily for me in the subtropics, I only ever get small harvests and have to replant if I want them.

[@maritimegardening4887]

That's shame - yes they're more of a northern thing. You can console yourself by growing sweet potatoes & yams, which I absolutely can't grow here. :)

[@yuksanng8864]

How do you store your sunchokes? I dug up one plant weigh 13lbs and still got 10 more plants

[@maritimegardening4887]

I've never figured out a god way to store them. They seem to need to be in the ground, so I just harvest them as needed. Place a window over the ground to keep it from freezing.

[@TheGardenAndWormLady]

Can they be grown in a big plastic tote? Instead of the ground?

[@maritimegardening4887]

Yes, lots of people do that too.

[@TheGardenAndWormLady]

Maritime Gardening I’ll have to try in the spring, I’ll have to order some

[@peterellis4262]

Not only are they "not that invasive" - They simply do not succeed everywhere. I've had them fail completely over three years in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Now in SW Michigan and I have planted many pounds of tubers and have had barely any of them survive. As to having food produce itself in an expansive manner, the downside of that is what? O M G, I have all of these tubers to eat! People crying about their "invasive" character are missing the irony of them complaining about getting too much food.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Good point! :)

[@GardensGuitars]

Also, it’s less relevant, but for folks like me who have a hard time storing sunchokes in the ground if the ground is too wet, the tubers can be stored in large mason jars of vinegar pretty well. I don’t bother to people, just wash and slice and drop in vinegar.

[@maritimegardening4887]

They can also be fermented

[@UrbanHomesteadMomma]

Sorry I wanted to add another question... I just saw in another video that sunchokes are very good as a fermented pickle... I’m wondering if you’ve tried this? It might be a good way to store excess for later... the other video suggested they were still grate for cooking with after fermenting too.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Yes I've done this (fermenting) with them and it works great. The stay totally crunchy that way as well.

[@michaelsallee7534]

you may have got them. years ago I had a captured bed of chokes. concrete on all 4 sides. my sister came to help grandmother mow her yard. she was so proud of herself. in fact, she pointed out to me she had mowed that patch of weeds I would never get. after 30 years she killed them all with 1 mowing

[@RaechelleJ]

Wow

[@lauraliekarels4059]

I heard fermenting or salt brining takes away the farts, LOL

[@maritimegardening4887]

Fermenting dos to some extent - but there's no way that brining would change the quantity on inulin (the stuff that makes you fart) in the sunchoke.

[@rosewood513]

I have two large beds and 7 buckets. I am waiting for them to become invasive so I can eat some. They keep dying I have good soil and lots of full sun. I have been growing them for 4 years, they grow great but don't produce much. These are not invasive for all.

[@angelabroughton5980]

I found them hard to digest. The gas they produce stays with you for hours. Never had such a bad attack. Must be some trick in the cooking process to get rid of that.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I think some people are just more sensitive to it than others. My wife and I are more bothered by it than our kids for instance.

[@pod11th31]

@@maritimegardening4887 It must be true, i've eaten them cooked, baked,steamed and i even tried a little raw, and had 0 problems.Perhaps i farted some- but tnothing troublesome.But i also have 0 problems eating anything else, that people claim it even makes them sick, stomachache etc. like very spicy things .It depends how well your body digest things.

[@RussellBallestrini]

Where do I buy them??? USA

[@maritimegardening4887]

I'm sure if you do a google search you'll find them available somewhere in your state.

[@jimosrs9414]

Where can I get tubers? Online?

[@maritimegardening4887]

Yes, online is likely your best bet. There's probably a place in your state/province that sells them somewhere. As the kids say, just "google it". :)

[@cathyplantlover2862]

they're edible and they bring in the pollinators!

[@maryquitecontrary93]

Very invasive in zone 6 Connecticut. I have not been able to eliminate them! Plant with caution. They spread and one little piece will grow another plant. I would not recommend them. They will grow thru asphalt too!

[@maritimegardening4887]

I have planted them in three locations in my garden. Never had a problem. They grow where I want them to grow.

[@maryquitecontrary93]

@@maritimegardening4887 let me know if you want to come over and weed them out! 😂

[@Thegardeningmcgyver]

A little piece you get a handful..lol..no..you can possibly get 10lbs or more. I've seen ppl who got 70lbs from 2 plants

[@jjs211u]

You should take down this video. Repost it next year if you still feel the same way.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I made it three years ago...

[@sacredweeds]

Is it's not being invasive related to the fact that you live further north?

[@maritimegardening4887]

They are indigenous to this part of the world - so no :)