Do not allow them to dry out before you plant. Break or cut tubers into one or two eye pieces of approximately 1-2 oz. Plant the pieces about 4 inches deep in rows 18 inches apart. Keep the soil weed free with hoeing, or mulch heavily after the plants emerge. Insect pests and disease aren't ordinarily a problem.
Mice sometimes burrow underground to eat the tubers, especially in winter.
It is best to harvest tubers after several frosts as this improves their flavor. Grasp the plant at the base of the stalk, pull up the whole plant, and gather the tubers. Alternatively, the tubers may be left in the ground and harvested as desired. Jerusalem Artichokes are cold hardy to Zone 3. Mulching is okay, but not necessary except where cold is severe.