When to harvest Jerusalem artichoke in the UK
Jerusalem artichoke is planted rather than sown from seed, so the dates below are harvest dates.
Harvest dates by region
Jerusalem artichoke is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Harvest |
|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late October to late February |
| South Coast and Channel | late October to late February |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late October to late February |
| South East and Home Counties | late October to late February |
| East Anglia | late October to late February |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late October to late February |
| Wales and West Coast | late October to late February |
| Northern England | late October to late February |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late October to late February |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late October to late February |
| Northern Ireland | late October to late February |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late October to late February |
Growing notes
Plant tubers 10-15cm deep and 30cm apart from late winter to mid-spring; the stems reach 3m, so use them as a summer windbreak and shorten them to 1.5m in late July or August. Lift from late autumn through winter and remove every last tuber, or the patch will regrow next year.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 30 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 100 cm
- Plants per m²
- 6
- Yield per plant
- 1 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 45 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 45 cm
- Balcony rating
- 1 out of 5
How long until it crops
Expect the first worthwhile pick about 1 year after planting.
What usually goes wrong
- sclerotinia
- slugs
Companion planting
Keep away from
- low-growing crops that will be shaded
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for jerusalem artichoke.