How to grow topinambur?

Not all of our compatriots are familiar with such vegetable crops as Jerusalem artichoke.However, his record endurance, an incredible amount of useful elements contained in tubers and a bountiful harvest instantly attracted the attention of gardeners and summer residents in many regions of our vast country. Especially in those where agricultural activity is the hardest. Thanks to the tubers formed in the root system of the Jerusalem artichoke, the gardeners called it an “earthen pear”.

Eating a pear tree helps to maintain a good state of health in people suffering from diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. This perennial herbaceous crop is characterized by the similarity with a sunflower hat of small orange inflorescences, which is propagated by tuber or seeds.

Tubers of Jerusalem artichoke visually resemble potatoes, and the stems - sunflower. And thanks to the juicy and sweet taste of this vegetable name is a pear. Topinambur is from North America. Recorded maximum height of vegetable crops - four meters. The process of growing earth pears is extremely interesting. Its inflorescences, resembling a sunflower, are much smaller. The flower itself has a very pleasant aroma. The roots of the Jerusalem artichoke dense and powerful, have branches in the form of edible tubers. The fruit, as a rule, has an oval shape, has a brownish tint. However, there are other varieties, which are characterized by yellow, white and purple tubers. The weight of one tuber varies. The largest fruit can reach three hundred grams, small - twenty grams.

Jerusalem artichoke is a non-capricious vegetable crop, extremely unpretentious in its care. For cultivation does not require special soil. A special feature of the earthen pear is its amazing ability to settle down on the most infertile land. Tubers and leaves of Jerusalem artichoke contain in their composition many useful elements that are often used in the field of medicine for the treatment and prevention of many diseases. The probability of getting low yields is extremely low. But also Jerusalem artichoke is surprisingly resistant to various infectious diseases and harmful insects. Therefore, the cultivation of Jerusalem artichoke is an excellent investment of your finances and efforts.

A pearl tuber is an excellent dietary product that contains the minimum amount of such elements as fats and fatty acids. In one hundred grams of vegetable contains only seventy-three kilocalories. Jerusalem artichoke does not contain cholesterol. The energy value of the ground pear is due to the presence of potassium, carbohydrates, sodium, dietary fiber and sucrose (approximately ten grams per hundred grams of tuber). In turn, the plant contains inulin. Thanks to him, an earthen pear can be used by people suffering from diabetes.

Vegetable has long found its use in traditional medicine. It is used to lower blood sugar levels in the presence of diabetes mellitus, to return the pressure to a normal state in patients with hypertension, to clean the liver, to improve metabolism. Leaves of a pear tree found their application in cosmetology. They are often added to the rejuvenating creams and serums. And they also contribute to the removal of salt deposits from the body.

To grow Jerusalem artichoke, you must first take the seeds and in certain periods, for example, in the winter to plant them in the garden, in the country or at home in a pot. It is necessary to care for the plant at home carefully, so that after planting in open ground in June, have a high yield per hectare. You must have a scheme of work and the necessary agricultural techniques.

On a note! Few people know, but an earthen pear began to grow for food much earlier than potatoes. The first recorded evidence asserts that the Jerusalem artichoke raised and prepared Indian tribes. In this connection, experts suggest that the plant was named after the Indian tribe "tupinambos." The emergence of potatoes pushed the demand for an earthen pear to the background. To date, this useful vegetable can be found as an ornamental plant.

For the cultivation of ground pears use open ground or a special container. The use of open ground suggests that the cultivation of vegetable crops will be produced in the winter. As a rule, fourteen to twenty days before a severe cooling falls. Or the Jerusalem artichoke is allowed to land in the spring, in the month of the best heating of the soil. In the autumn months, Jerusalem artichokes are planted in the soil with whole tubers, and in spring, the earth pear is permissible to be divided into a couple of parts.

The main requirement when planting this vegetable crop is the choice of the site. It should have good access to the light, while not shading other vegetable crops, as its stems can reach a height of up to three meters. It is advisable to plant a Jerusalem artichoke along the fence line.

The only soil on which the vegetable can not settle down is a heavy saline. For winter landing, it is desirable to prepare the ground in four weeks. And even if you want to plant vegetables in the spring, the preparation of the site is carried out in the autumn.

For this, the soil is carefully dug up so that the top thirty centimeters of the surface are treated. It is advisable to add a small amount of compost when digging. When deciding to plant an earthen pear in the spring months, it is not necessary to break up large earthen lumps. It is recommended to do this in early spring. Phosphorus and potash fertilizer is desirable to add to the soil when planting vegetables. According to the rules of crop rotation, topinambur is best planted after potatoes, cabbage, or all solanaceous crops.

In spite of the fact that it is permissible to plant an earthen pear in the fall, many gardeners prefer to plant in the spring. As a rule, this is the end of April or the beginning of the May holidays. Plant vegetable culture linearly. It is recommended to keep a distance of sixty to seventy centimeters, with an approximate step of forty to fifty centimeters. For the sustainability of high stems close to the plant, it is desirable to install a bamboo or wooden stick, so that if necessary it can be tied up. The allowable distance is ten to fifteen centimeters from the tuber.

As mentioned earlier, Jerusalem artichoke non-fancy vegetable culture and unpretentious care. However, when the soil is infertile or when growing vegetables intensively consuming the nutrients found in the soil, it is desirable to correct the situation. Fertilized soil will enhance the growth and development of the earthen pear. For one square meter you will need seven to eight kilograms of rotted animal and plant debris (humus). To increase the efficiency of humus, add twenty grams of mineral nitrogen-containing fertilizer, twenty grams of potassium sulfate, thirty to forty grams of fluorine-containing fertilizer and four hundred grams of dolomite powder to its contents.

For planting in the soil, choose a medium-sized tuber. Its length should not exceed five to six centimeters. In the presence of large-sized tubers, they can be cut into several slices, which can later be planted. But so that the sliced ​​Jerusalem artichoke does not begin to oxidize, sprinkle them with a small amount of charcoal. The recommended depth of planting such pieces varies depending on the time of year. For example, the depth of landing, carried out in the spring, eight to ten centimeters. In the autumn months - twelve to fifteen centimeters.

An important factor in the proper and active growth of vegetable crops, which is often overlooked, is the neighboring plants. Jerusalem artichoke gets along well with a number of planted legumes (beans and peas), cabbage, radishes, turnips, all kinds of onions, solanaceous crops, in particular, with eggplants, and berry crops (especially with currants and gooseberries). Parsley and celery are undesirable neighbors for the earthen pear, as well as growing near potatoes and tomatoes.

According to the rules of crop rotation after the topinambur, strawberries and strawberries start growing well. However, despite the most thorough harvesting of the earthen pear, a small amount of tubers sprout. In this connection, a small sowing of this vegetable culture is grown outside the crop rotation principles. But as practice shows, to grow topinambur on the same plot for five years is not recommended.

A large bush of earthen pears, grown for several seasons already, needs additional feeding and regular watering on hot sunny days. A young plant will need to weed and remove weeds systematically. An adult earthen pear does not need weeding, since, thanks to a powerful and strong root system, it does not allow any vegetation to sprout on its site. Few people know, but Jerusalem artichoke is an invasive plant. In other words, the vegetable crop has side shoots that actively grow in the soil, which often provokes germination in the neighboring territory.

Care for the earthen pear in the spring is in weeding and breaking the ground in the area surrounding the Jerusalem artichoke. This is necessary in order to saturate the soil with oxygen and facilitate breathing of the root system of the plant. The end of May will delight you with grown shoots. It is advisable to spud them in a few days. From slugs will help get rid of pre-exposed trap.

At the beginning of flowering bushes earthen pear are a gorgeous flower garden. But it is worth noting that the flowers take most of the useful and nutritious elements from the soil. Therefore, if the presence of flowers does not play a huge role for you, it is advisable to cut them, while leaving the stem no longer than one and a half to two meters.

On sunny hot days, the Jerusalem artichoke will require abundant watering. This should be done as often as possible, several times a day. The fact is that the huge leaves of the plant contribute to the rapid evaporation of water. But it is worth noting that the earthen pear is adequately kept in dry weather and endures all the tests of the weather. If it is not possible to visit the garden or suburban area every day, it is recommended to mulch the soil near the Jerusalem artichoke with the stalks of cereals at the weekend. Thanks to them, the soil will be able to saturate with oxygen and will save the plant from drought due to rapidly evaporating moisture.During the summer period, hilling of bushes is performed three to five times with the addition of compost. If you used the nesting method when planting, it is recommended to regularly loosen between rows. Feeding the plant is carried out twice a month with the help of complex fertilizer, which must contain minerals.

Maturing pear tuber lasts at least one hundred twenty days. Harvesting in advance does not make sense, since the excavated fruit does not ripen in the open air. This vegetable is dug in the spring months before the soil begins to warm up. Or in the autumn when the first cooling. The tuber of this plant germinates well even at a temperature of forty degrees below zero.

In the fall, it is advisable to collect as many fruits as you are able to consume, and leave the remaining tubers to the spring harvest. It was during this period that many people suffer from vitamin deficiency, and the use of Jerusalem artichoke will help correct this unpleasant situation. The only thing worth remembering is that this earth pear must be removed without fail before warming occurs. Otherwise, the tuber will give growth, and the plant from the healthy and tasty vegetables will become a weed.

Store Jerusalem artichoke must be the same as other root vegetables. The storage place is often sandboxes. Before sending the vegetables for storage, they will need to be thoroughly washed from the remnants of the earth and dried thoroughly.

How to grow Jerusalem artichoke, see the next video.