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Artichokes-post your updates

AiliDeSpain
11 years ago

As you can tell I am super excited about growing artichokes this year. I thought I would start a thread where we can post our progress, pictures, and updates. Here is where I'm at:
Seeded Imperial Star on January 22
Started hardening off on March 6th
Planned plant out April 1 or earlier if I feel the weather is going to hold out.
My plants are huge. I had to start putting my seedlings on a rotation schedule because my artichokes are taking up so much space. I currently have nine plants. I am sure I won't plant them all but want to have back ups in case some don't make it.
I was wondering if my hardening off period counts toward vernalization? I am setting them out in 40-50 degree temps for hardening. Today they spent 2 hours in filtered sun. They did great!
Here is a pic of them outside...

Comments (103)

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    I'm considering it in the coming week. Since I've noticed artichokes don't seem to "bounce back" well from any set back, I am waiting to be as sure as I can that the weather is good for them. Pretty sure I got them vernalized after all, so there is that. If your plants had no root damage then I would guess cold damage.

  • greenmulberry
    10 years ago

    I planted one in each of my cold frames, which I hope become dedicated to a perennial 'choke in each, last week. They look pretty good. We did have a night or two in the high teens, but with the lid of the cold frame closed they didn't seem to notice.

    The broccoli I had stupidly already planted out in the garden is toast though. Good thing I started so many.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Sunni-Did you plant out your babies yet? If so how are they doing?
    Anyone else plant theirs?
    My two replacements are doing just fine. I had to cover all of them a few nights ago because we got a cold snap with snow and below freezing temps. They seem to have fared just fine though. I still have two back ups in pots.
    I can't wait for it to warm up more consistently so I can start seeing some growth.
    I will take some pics later to post.

  • NilaJones
    10 years ago

    Artichokes are perennial in my zone, and usually bear starting in their second summer. I just saw that mine, which I planted last spring, has two baby chokes!

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    Mine are going to finally make it in the ground today. The trouble with waiting and waiting for spring to arrive is that when it does actually come everything needs to be done at once! All the restaurant crops are started or transplanted, so now a little time to focus on my personal ones is in order. Happy artichoking, everyone!

  • BarbaraMathias
    10 years ago

    omg I didn't realize they got that big. I'm a first timer for artichokes this year and have probably jumped the gun big time as I put them in the ground last week and we have a freeze warning in Pa tonight. Should I dig them up and bring them back in or cover?

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Mine have been through multiple freezes and survived. I cover them with cloches. I use small buckets for my covers. Just make sure to remove the covers the next day when temps go above freezing.

  • avocado101
    10 years ago

    I planted one artichoke in April 2010. I relocated it about a year later. Now, it's huge. It's about 4 feet tall. It has about 4 or 5 growth from the one I had planted.

    To the left is a pomegranate tree and to the right is a young Fuji Apple tree. The two trees are about 12 feet apart.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    omg Avocado your artichoke plant is mammoth!!
    Here is a photo of one of mine, it's finally starting to put on some growth, many of the younger leaves have died off and I have trimmed them. The unpredictable weather has certainly contributed to the lack of growth. I am hoping with warmer temps and milder nights these babies will start to put on some size.
    How are everyone else's chokes? Sunni are yours doing okay?
    Please post pics for comparison!!!
    :)

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    Sorry, went out to take a picture and thought "eh, not much to see here"... This extra cool spring means they don't seem to have put on any growth yet. I can hope they are making roots, right? They are alive, I can say that much. The only things that seem to like the weather we've been having are the lettuce and onions. Even the peas are real slow this year. I think next week everything will explode, if temps are as predicted. Cheers!

  • greenmulberry
    10 years ago

    Well, my 'chokes have been out in the garden and coldframes two weeks, they haven't done anything impressive yet.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the updates sunni and green. The photo I posted on May 1 is of my biggest choke. It has since doubled in size, I will have to post a photo tomorrow.

  • planatus
    10 years ago

    I took this picture yesterday. The plants have been out for a month, and started showing new growth a week or so ago. They seem to like lots of rain! I planted the largest plant slightly high and it's holding its place as pick of the litter.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Planatus, yours look fab. I'm jealous.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Will try to post a photo of mine today

    This post was edited by AiliDeSpain on Fri, May 10, 13 at 10:32

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here is my biggest one. Also the first one I planted.

  • rlemega
    10 years ago

    Wow. I planted mine about 2 weeks ago and its just kind of sitting there with the older leaves falling off and the new ones growing, slowly...

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thought I would post another above the plant photo of my artichokes.
    The first photo is my biggest one, the second photo is the runner up... :)

    {{gwi:27189}}
    {{gwi:27190}}

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    Looking good! Mine are pretty puny still, they just sulked through our cold spring. Seem to be taking off now, so I've got my fingers crossed. I don't know how big they will get before blooming is triggered.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Sunni - in your prior experience growing artichokes when do they typically start to get buds?

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    Oh lordy, not sure. I never wrote it down. For some reason I originally thought they would have chokes in the fall, but that was wrong. The only thing I could find in my notes was that I ate the flower stalk from my cardoons at June 4 last summer, but I'm pretty sure those bloom earlier than chokes. Around the solistice sometime?

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hmmmm it seems they would have to put on some considerable size before blooming. Guess we will have to just wait and see.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Haven't posted an update for awhile so i thought i would post a few pics. They are chugging along.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's my runner up :)

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    Nice! Mine are finally bulking up, but then a vole ate the largest one... I don't know if you ever watched Buffy, but all I know is "from beneath you, it devours". Haven't caught it in the trap yet, alas.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    That sucks Sunni!! You need to post a pic of yours, not the eaten one of course :)

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    My first artichoke is forming! Squeel :)

  • planatus
    10 years ago

    Two of my plants have little buds, too, which I discovered while harassing earwigs that had set up housekeeping in the plants' centers. Can't blame them, it's been raining a lot, so I put out the little pots for earwig hangouts. I also removed the lowest leaves, which seemed be be attracting a few whiteflies.

    Today the earwigs are gone but they left behind a mess in the emerging leaves. The buds look okay, though.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Planatus, nice looking plants....I despise earwigs. They are a problem every year here. This year they nearly destroyed my dahlias.

  • greenmulberry
    10 years ago

    Here is one of mine so far.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Nice greenmulberry. I just noticed today that I have two small buds on either side of the main bud on one of my plants! Excited!

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Just wanted to share this photo of my biggest choke so far. I am super excited to harvest it and see what it tastes like!

  • planatus
    10 years ago

    Your buds are bigger than mine, but I have three this size ready to cut today. All have smaller buds visible a few inches below the main ones. The ladybeetle is working on random sucking insects, which is good because the plants hated the soap I used a couple of weeks ago to set back whiteflies.

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    Uh oh, maybe mine got too set back this spring. I have a few plants that are pretty large, but no buds yet. Yours are looking good, guys!

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Love it planatus...sunni sorry you don't have buds yet!!
    I am getting ready to harvest my first choke. Planatus, do you usually harvest yours small?

  • planatus
    10 years ago

    Virginia Tech says to harvest as soon as the bottom scales start to loosen, so I cut the primary buds from all five of my plants two days ago. There are a lot of very small buds coming on from the same terminal stems that produced the primary buds.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Oh okay. Yours look so pretty. Do you think this one looks ready?

  • planatus
    10 years ago

    Yes, I think it is.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks. I will harvest tonight and see how it tastes :)

  • stuffradio
    10 years ago

    You guys are lucky! I will post a picture of mine as soon as I transplant them maybe tomorrow or the next day. They are much smaller, and I kept them in small pots a long time.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well I harvested that choke and steamed it up and shared it with my two year old baby girl and it was delicious. A little on the small side, but delectable all the same. Can't wait to harvest more! I currently have 9 more growing.

  • greenmulberry
    10 years ago

    Hmm, I think I will have my first one to harvest soon, it is smallish but the bottom most leaves are looking loose.

    I had no idea I would get chokes before tomatoes!

  • greenmulberry
    10 years ago

    I have picked two so far.

    They are kind of small, but the leaves are starting to separate on the bottom, when I picked them.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I have harvested 7 off of four plants. Mine have also been smallish but leaves were also separating on the bottom. I think the plants are stressed due to the heat.

  • greenmulberry
    10 years ago

    Here are a couple I harvested today.

  • greenmulberry
    10 years ago

    In the field. . . I have a bunch of chokes but they start to open when they are pretty small, except for the first one on each plant.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I think they are opening too small because of the heat. My plants are pretty much at a standstill. I dont know that I will grow them again next year. Our conditions are just not ideal for chokes. The space they take for what you get just isn't worth it. IMO.

  • greenmulberry
    10 years ago

    I just love the plants, and they look so cool even when they only have little chokes.

    I am certainly going to plant them next year, my husband said he would love to grow them in the perrenial sun beds even, because he thinks they are so neat.

    I do have PLENTY of room though, and I am always looking for more things to grow to take out lawn though.

  • AiliDeSpain
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Long time since I have visited this thread. I have some questions for my experienced artichoke growers. My plants that seem to have went dormant during the hot summer months are now putting out new leaves. I know that there is probably not time for a second crop of chokes but I want to prepare to try and overwinter them for next year. I don't see myself starting them from seed again nor do I want to dig them, however I want to try and overwinter them in the ground eventhough I know the likely hood of them surviving in my zone is small.
    So my questions are:
    When do I cut them back?
    How far do I cut them back?
    Do you take off all of the leaves?
    What is the best way to protect the roots from frost?
    TIA!!!

  • stuffradio
    10 years ago

    I think they are supposed to be 6 inches tall or something, and you are supposed to mound some leaves around them, but not right up the stem. I could be wrong though.

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