[Hippocrates_Garden]

Honestly, search for “sunchoke” on Youtube. After a few videos you’ll get the gist.

[neuronweb]

👍

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

I’m in zone 8b, coastal AL and have them growing now. I got them from Grow Organic. I’ve seen them on Etsy, Amazon & other online stores. Here are 2 pics of mine late this past summer. Lot’s of info online but here is one source that tells you how to grow them from planting, light & temp requirements, fertilizing, etc.
They are a very invasive plant once they are established so plant them in an area you don’t mind them taking over or in pots/containers if you prefer to keep them contained.

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-organic-jerusalem-artichokes-2539639

[JerseyGiantChick]

They are like potatoes good food, if they get invasive just keep mowing that area. Or let the chickens deal with them, they give them no chance to grow.

[Hippocrates_Garden]

similar, although the carbohydrate is a bit different, and if one is not used to them.. well, lets just say one alternative name is “Fart-a-choke:

[AlphaDelta]

The first time I grew them the wild hogs dug them up after they finished off our sugar cane. The second time I planted them in a molasses bucket and they came up but died. Maybe I’ll try them again.

[KimC]

I tried them last year in 10-gallon grow bags because I have no room for them to become invasive in. They grew very tall, and there were some blooms on healthy plants, but the roots were a complete disappointment. Very small and elongated, similar to a carrot or parsnip, not round, and not big around at all, but quite a lot of them. I was trying them because I kept hearing they’re a great survival food alternative to potatoes. When researching I learned that you have the cook them to death to avoid gastrointestinal distress, so between the lack of space to grow enough to make a difference, the effort (kept having to tie them up because they get so tall they fall over), and the fact that gut issues were warned against, I decide not to grow them again, and to instead concentrate on other things that are better yielding and lower maintenance. Maybe they didn’t like being grown in any kind of container? I’m sure others could give better tips on that, but that was my experience in zone 9b. Hope yours do well.

[DeepSouthBamaGRITS]

If you wanted to increase the size of the tubers, prune the stalks back so more energy can go into producing larger tubers. You can also cut off the flower stalk before it blooms, too, in order to conserve energy for the growth of the tubers. None of mine were ever round like a potato. They are like the tubers you plant. Kinda funky and shaped like a ginger root. None were huge but a bit larger than the tubers I planted. I’ve only harvested a few of mine in order to let them spread. I cooked a few to make sure I wouldn’t have any gastrointestinal issues and they tasted like a cross between a potato & a water chestnut to me. I fried mine like you do potatoes with onions and were actually good. Some people may experience gas, excessive gas and some even more issues with stomach pain with gas. It all depends on what your body/stomach tolerates.
Mine are planted along my woodline as a hidden food source that most will think are a flowering shrub instead of a food source.
You must mulch them well if your area gets freezing temps to keep the tubers from freezing & rotting.

Another survival food I started last year is Chayote Squash. It is a perennial and comes back year after year & is a prolific producer. It has lots of long vines that can cover an area so it needs to be supported if you plant in pots. A simple trellis or like an arbor. I have some planted around my chicken coop/yard and they will produce vines all around the coop that will provide shade for the chickens as well as food if the fruit hangs down into the coop/yard area where the chickens can get to them.
They kind of have the texture and slight taste of a pear and some people use them as a filler for pies or they can be cooked like a winter squash, put in salads (raw).
The vines die back for the winter. Just trim them back leaving a few inches of the vine then mulch real good. They will re-emerge in spring.
I bought mine at Walmart in the produce section. They used to run about .76cents each but they have gone up some to around $1.15. Leave them on your counter or window seal and they will begin to sprout on the large end. Let the sprout get about 4-6 inches long then plant in well draining potting mix, large end down with the sprout above the soil. Keep moist but not saturated or the roots will rot. That is how I root mine to plant and I then transfer into their growing area or large tub in the spring.

Another survival food for us southerners is the Whipporwill cowpeas. They are an indeterminate variety & will produce prolifically. They love the heat & humidity and long growing seasons we have. These peas will produce all summer & even into fall until 1st frost. Most of our peas are done by summers end or before but this variety will keep going. I know your space is limited but even planting a few in some pots would give you a good source of protein & nutrients plus you can save these seeds as they are heirloom, let them dry and have to plant again next year. These peas are smaller than our normal garden peas but cook much quicker and can even be eaten raw. Seeds are kind of hard to find but I THINK Baker Creek has them and a few other online shops.

[Dmaiden]

I am in zone 5. I dont care for artichokes however cabbage is a great vegetable to grow! Homemade sauerkraut is wonderful! I grew one cabbage in my basement hydroponic container, just an experiment to see how it would do. It was great! Though growing period is 90 days it took longer. But still it grew just fine. Cabbage has many health benefits.

[Hippocrates_Garden]

They are not even related to Artichokes (not sure how they got that name)

[AlphaDelta]

You can get them in some grocery stores.

[Redcap]

Last year I got 5 from Edible Acres and they all grew even when I stopped watering them. They did great. Flower stalk comes the second year. They are sunflowers, technically. They will grow even if you forget them. I harvested a few and we roasted and ate them but all the rest I replanted to fill up the raised bed they were in so I can hopefully fill the whole thing up within a year or two. They say 1 meter/yard square should produce about 22 pounds of tubers. You can get them from Burgess Seeds and Gurney’s Seeds, too.

[SpeedBump]

I am in Zone 5b/6a. I grew them for the first time last year. I grew them in 10 gal. containers to avoid rampant spread. They are complete water hogs. In the middle of our July/Aug in Midwest when it stops raining, it was 3 times/day to keep the foliage from wilting. I kept tubers to replant in larger containers, thinking 10 gal is too small. Back to the drawing board for this season. Unsure if I will grow them a third year without drip irrigation or afternoon shade.