Jerusalem artichoke

Jerusalem artichoke: plant 30 cm (12 in) apart in the row and 150 cm (59 in) between rows, 1 per square. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	30 cm (12 in)
Between rows	150 cm (59 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	200 cm (79 in)
Crop rotation group	Roots and onions
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	From tubers
Tubers per planting hole	3
Per metre of row	2
Planting depth	10 cm (3.9 in)
Soil temperature	from 7 °C, best 16–22 °C
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to plant	Outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 7 °C

From seedling to plant

Takes transplanting	Badly, sow where it grows
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	10 L, 30 cm (11.8 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while roots swell
Feeding	Little; at planting
Support and training	None needed; earth up

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	120–160 days, from planting
Ready when	The leaves die back
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 8–16 weeks
Sow again every	21 days
Typical yield	1.5–3 kg per plant
Botanical family	Asteraceae
Watch out for	Slugs and snails, powdery mildew
First crop after	1 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Plan Jerusalem artichoke in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Jerusalem artichoke onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Plant out	Mar–Apr
Harvest	Oct–Nov

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Jerusalem artichoke →

From the same family

Plants of the Asteraceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

How to grow Jerusalem artichokes — Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for: sowing depth, between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-31

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