Posted by zog
on November 5, 2009, 12:53 pm
An update from last year. We made a real small patch, about 5 x 10 or so, and stuck some in, a few lbs. So, at the end of last season I tried my darnedest to get all of them out of the ground, got a few wheelbarrows full of 'chokes, good eating if you like them, supposedly a lot of health benefits including helping to regulate blood sugar levels (disclaimer, always check with your hairdresser or other professional on important matters). So this year I was just out pulling a few and using a spading fork to dig, like a spud fork, (I obviously missed some last year) and there's zillions of them, huge.
I don't think you could get rid of these things if ya tried short of mass chemical warfare. I mean it's *packed* underground, layers deep.
Something to think about to introduce at your remote survival hidey hole place, tons of food hiding in plain sight that most people wouldn't even recognize, seeing as how they are root crops. In spring, take some of the roots from the store,(no need to pay huge sums to get them from some seed company) plant them, that's it. Stick em in a few inches deep, one every square foot or so, and stand back.
Now at home, if I had to do it again, container growing only, they just spread and too hard to get them all. They get big as sunflowers and have a similar styled flower, just bunches on a stalk not just one. and the best way to sore them is just leave them in he ground, dig up what you want to eat today. I tried digging them all up but they start to dry out fast. Any you miss will just re-sprout a stalk next year..forever near as I can see. The stalks I tried both to feed to the cows, they eat them, or dried as kindling fire starter, or whatever you want to do with large stalks like that.
You'd have to bust them up a little to go into the compost pile and do NOT introduce any of the root/food modules anyplace you don't want them.
I don't have any but I bet hogs could root them all out though.
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