Looking for Chinese Artichoke Starters

[GardenRN]

For some reason I am really getting into my tubers this year. I guess after moderate success with my potatoes this past season I am enjoying the surprise of digging everything up to see how successful it was, and there also seems to be a lot of different tubers that are more unfamiliar to U.S. gardeners.

That being said, I am trying to find someone who has a few chinese artichoke (knot root) tubers that they'd like to trade or sell. I always ask here before searching online.

To much to list what I have for trade. Most types of veggie seeds. But hardly any flowers. Let me know if you're looking for something and I'll see if I have it. Thanks in advance for any help!

[!potatoes!]

hey jeff, I admit to also being nuts for tubers.

this past year was the first for me and chinese artichokes (my favorite name for them is the french - crosnes [pronounced crones]), and I therefore don't have enough to share out - this year was all about increasing my stock so I can grow enough to sell next year.

I mentioned chinese artichokes in some other post somewhere, and soil pm'ed me about sources...at the moment, all I can do I pass on the same info to you:

the only american nursery I've found with them is goodwin creek gardens (it's online and easily searchable); they sell small potted plants (probably a single tuber grown out a year) in 3- or 4-inch (can't remember) square pots - about $5 each. I got three last year and may have a total of a pound of tubers to start with next year, so it's a relatively slow build-up...but they're a pretty cool plant, for sure.

so if you can wait a year, I might have some for you. if you want them in the ground for next year, go goodwin creek.

[CharlieBear]

companionplants.com also sells the potted plants for 4.75 as of late 2008 or early 2009, so maybe no one as caught on to that sight yet. I seriously doubt that you wil find someone with some to trade, if they have them they will try to sell them since they are hard to come by or eat them. I would love a start of that and ground nuts, but even ground nuts are hard to come by. In fact almost all perennial vegetagles are hard to come by except the most obvious ones, sorry.

[!potatoes!]

^charlie, oikos tree crops in michigan has a three varieties of groundnut (I went searching, too...)...they seem to only have them for a limited time when they dig in the fall. I've got all three kinds going now...but like with the chinese artichokes, it's gonna be a little while before I have enough to share.

[GardenRN]

I'm not sure what it is, but there's something I don't like about ordering plants online....or rather having them delivered in the mail. Seeds are roots are ok, but the plants, idk, it just rubs me the wrong way (even though there's no reasonable or logical explanation). Maybe I'll keep an eye out at farmer's markets and stuff this year. I'll keep my fingers crosed that I come across them somewhere. But it's no rush for me either. I am quickly running out of yard and nearly encroaching onto the kids play space.