It’s the versus episode they said couldn’t be done.Well, okay, not sure who “they” are, but something has certainly been conspiring against it. We first attempted an episode on sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, in the fall of 2024, before Plants Always Win was launched. It got left on the cutting room floor. Then in September of this year we recorded a proper Sunchokes vs. Sunflowers face-off, spending two hours in the recording studio. We later found out that Sean’s audio had quit after six minutes.But if you’re reading these words, we have finally succeeded! With the last of the warm autumn sunshine, we are bringing you sunflowers vs. sunchokes. Or, to put it another way, annual sunflowers vs. one of their many perennial sunflower cousins. Both are native to North America, and both are prolific food crops. The first, though, has been bred for its seed while the second is used for its tubers. And only one of them was at the centre of a $25 million scam that threw parts of the United States and Canada into an uproar in the 1980s. Find out which one that is one by listening…and then reach out by email or social media to tell us which sunflower YOU feel won this week’s plant face-off.The Horti AwardsVote for Wait Like a Seed at bit.ly/hortiawards. Scroll to the very bottom and select it from the Books drop-down menu. You don’t have to vote in every category.Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHCitationsSunflower etymologySunflower - Etymology, Origin & Meaning. (n.d.). Etymonline. https://www.etymonline.com/word/sunflowerSunflowers as composite flowersCommon sunflower. (n.d.). https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/helianthus_annuus.shtml Sunflowers in Ontariotop Native Sunflowers for Ontario Gardens — In Our Nature. (n.d.). In Our Nature. https://www.inournature.ca/sunflowers-of-ontarioThe too-many-to-read-out traditional uses of the annual sunflowerUSDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center. (n.d.). ANNUAL SUNFLOWER. https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_hean3.pdf Sunflower oil chemistry and usesSunflower oil. (n.d.). Science Direct. Retrieved September 30, 2025, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/sunflower-oil Growing sunflowersSpengler, T. (2023, February 10). Sunflower planting pros and cons. Gardening Know How. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/gardening-pros-cons/sunflower-planting-pros-and-cons AllelopathyAllelopathy. (n.d.). Science Direct. Retrieved September 30, 2025, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/allelopathy The world’s tallest sunflowerAssociated Press. (2025, September 15). World’s tallest sunflower blooms in an Indiana backyard as a tribute to Ukraine. Spectrum News 1. https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2025/09/15/world-s-tallest-sunflower-indiana Anishinaabe use of sunchokes, a.k.a. GiisisoojiibikGeniusz, M. S. (2015). Plants have so much to give us, all we have to do is ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings. U of Minnesota Press. The Jerusalem artichoke multi-level marketing scam1980s Farm Crisis: Origins, myths and realities: Jerusalem artichoke miracle crop was a sign - Agweek | #1 source for agriculture news, farming, markets. (2023, June 12). Agweek. https://www.agweek.com/business/1980s-farm-crisis-origins-myths-and-realities-jerusalem-artichoke-miracle-crop-was-a-sign The Great Jerusalem Artichoke Circus: The Buying and Selling of the Rural American Dream, by Joseph A. Amato, 1993, University of Minnesota Press, 280 p. Identify your turfgrassDifferent types of grass: Identifying your lawn’s grass type. (n.d.). Scotts. https://scotts.com/en-us/learn/different-types-of-grass-identify-your-grass.html Timestamps00:40 The Sunchoke Curse02:29 What's Growing On: Erin's Garden-Fresh Meals and Horti Awards04:20 What's Growing On: Sean's 1,001 Projects and Propagations06:00 Water Break06:15 The Plant Face-Off: Sunflowers07:51 About the Name Sunflower08:13 How Sunflowers Grow08:55 Perennial Sunflowers of Ontario10:25 Uses of the Annual Sunflower12:00 Sunflowers are Composite Flowers12:45 Heliotropism and Phototropism14:35 The Benefits of Heliotropism15:50 Sunflowers and Allelopathy18:06 A Sunflower Guild19:40 Garden-Nerd D&D Tangent24:12 The Plant Face-Off: Sunchokes24:45 The Only Tuberous Sunflowers25:14 Eating Sunchoke Tubers...Without the Gas26:25 Harvesting and Managing the Tubers29:20 Anishinaabe Communities and Giisisoojiibik30:30 Sunchokes' Invasiveness in Central Europe31:00 Get Familiar with New Foods You Can Grow33:45 Jerusalem Artichoke Height and Appearance35:49 The Jerusalem Artichoke Pyramid Scheme42:00 Musings About Fuel from Sunflowers45:59 Listener Question: How Do I Know What Kind of Grass I Have?51:55 Conclusion and Contact Us
