Jerusalem Artichoke

Way back in August last year I was given some Jerusalem Artichoke tubers.  I wasn't sure what to do with them so left them sitting in a paper bag on the bench for a few weeks while I did some research.  I finally decided where I would plant them only to discover that the tubers were now all dried up and shriveled.   What to do, what to do..I know, throw them into a bucket of water and see what happens.   After a few days I remembered to check on them and they looked plump and healthy again...


I had maybe a few more than a dozen tubers and wanted them planted in different areas so as to get a better chance of at least one lot surviving.    The fact that they grow and keep coming back was the main thing I liked about them.   I like things that will look after themselves and keep producing without too much effort from me.  I am a lazy gardener and want to keep growing our food but I want to add a bit more variety than what I have been growing.   If we didn't like them or we get too many I will save them for when the Zombies get here.

The JA were put in the ground during September.  After getting them out of the bucket of water they were looking good, nice and plump again and some looked like they were about to sprout with tiny little bumps, they were no longer the dried up half dead things I dropped in the bucket of water.

I planted them in 5 different areas of the yard, a few in the ground, one lot in a 1/2x44 gal drum, one lot in a tank garden, some between 2 tank gardens, some more in the ground.  Heres hoping I will forever have them. And heres hoping more that we actually like them!

Weeks passed and nothing was coming up so I waited more weeks...Eventually I dug some of the buried tubers up, to see if they were still there and if so what they were doing.   Slaters were in the ground and there were less JA than I planted but the ones that were still there had roots on so I dusted them with DE and planted them in a drum.

Fast forward to now and we have liftoff!!

I have three plants in flower and 2 really small, maybe 6inch high plants.
Two of the flowering plants are in seperate1/2 x 44 gallon drums and maybe a metre tall.  The one growing in the ground is maybe 8 feet tall and has lots of yellow Daisy like flowers.

I'm thinking I'll get something from them and hoping I will have enough to taste, to plant some more for next year and to give some back to the person that first gave them to me as his aren't growing very well at all.

Stay tuned. 

Plants from Diggers.

We have bought some more trees to help with my self sufficiencey in food plan.  Daughter is a member of Diggers so we now have 3 coffee trees, 2 Babaco and 1 Chocolate Pudding tree.  Buying them with her membership saved us some money so I will be able to get more things later on...

Husband has been wanting the Babaco for quite a few years but we haven't been able to find any in WA and Diggers never used to send them here.  This year though, seen, ordered, bought and planted.




When the box of plants arrived one of the coffee bushes was looking very sad, and the Babaco had lost all of their leaves. 
I took them out, pulled all the sticky tape off them gave them a good soak and they are now looking good.

 Husband wanted the Babaco in some drums outside the front door so they would be "looked after" Hmffft!

 It took me ages to empty out the crap dirt that was in them and replace it with better stuff and get it ready to plant in.   Once they were in I made up some rings of wire and tied some shadecloth bags around that to protect them from the heat, wind, anything else.  I will leave them like that until they are bigger and look like they are growing properly.  They have new leaves on after a week so should be OK.

Photo coming...

 The plan was for me to get the others planted as well but I didn't get to it yet and this week is going to be hot! so I will wait 'til it cools a bit.  I have the area where the coffee are to go ready but don't want to risk them keeling over.  I am going to make some more wire box things to go around them but these will also need to be protected from the chooks. 

As yet I am not sure where to put the CP tree.  That will grow big and I am thinking of putting it out in the dam area but the pear trees that are out there don't get looked after and are looking a bit crook so as I don't want the same thing to happen with this I am still undecided.  I will need to get it decided on though so I can dig a hole and get this in the ground as soon as it cools.  These are the sorts of things that should be all sorted before I actually get the plants but hey!  It wasn't so I now need to pull me finger out.  And will do so over the next few days...