I'm so jealous of your figs lol. I have three young fig trees and can't wait for them to start producing a good crop for me.

I'm growing a couple artichokes this year for my first time. My question is how will I know when they are ready to harvest. Also would like to comment on how well all of you are doing with your gardens and the beautiful veggies.

Gemfire

Hi Gemfire,
In the 3rd pic down , notice the different sizes (some are so small, they are hard to see), this is the way Artichokes produce, The First one up,(on each individual shoot) is the largest, then come the medium sized ones, then the smallest ones.

Pick them when they first start to "loosen" or "opening" their petals, the squeeze test (like CHARMIN ;-)

They start out tender and the longer you leave them on the shoot, the tougher they become,until eventually they become fully opened and produce absolutely gorgeous flowers

The small DO NOT eventually get bigger, so pick them when they are tender (unopened) , they will be the size of the ones you purchase in the store that have been marinated.

{{gwi:30807}}

{{gwi:15176}}

{{gwi:45779}}

Hi Tony, I live about 35 miles east of you on Long Island. You will have no problem growing them on Staten Island, but wintering them over may not work. I start mine from seed in November, transfer to 6 inch pots in January and then I have a greenhouse that they spend the next two months in for the vernalization process (chilling hours) I just put mine outside in the ground this past Saturday. A little light frost won't hurt them, but if temps go below 28 I will drop a plastic cloth over them for the night. The plants have their 2nd set of of the jagged silvery grey leaves and stand about 6 inches tall now. If all goes well, with lots of fertilizer and water, they will "choke" in July... The chilling hours are important, you may want to put the pots outside now... they need a good solid month of temps below 45 to flower. Your plants should flower a bit later. I grow all kinds of Italian plants... Olive trees, lemon trees, prickly pears and capers... A little bit of Tuscany in New York. Good Luck with yours

Timely information! I bought an artichoke plant about a week ago and now I know I'll have to give it plenty of room. Those suckers are prickly!

I found this link when looking for info on processing them for cooking.

Here is a link that might be useful: Videos on prepping artichokes

Thanks for the craving byg. Those videos(especially the how to eat) did me in. Now I've got to go buy some because I've got too long to wait for mine.

{{gwi:118498}}

Hi Rick:
Great to hear that you started your artichoke growing season early -January! I started late - February 24th. As of this writing, March 23rd, they are only 28 days old. They only have 4 leaves and measure only 3 inches high. The pictures shown by Taz6122 are much larger than mine. I keep them on the kitchen table exposed to sunlight. When the temperature exceeds 50+ degree I will put them in my cold frame where the temperature is about 60+ degrees. I will be submitting pictures again in about 3 weeks. Hoping for a good first time crop.

Regards,
Tony From Staten island

Don't be afraid to expose them to the cold... It won't hurt them and assures a greater harvest. It's only a hard frost that could hurt them. The plants themselves are beautiful. I've used them as ornamentals as well. Have fun and good luck this season.

How long does it take artichokes to reach maturity? I have a plant that I bought last year that didn't do much through the winter and is now growing but slooooow.

I have been following this thread with great interest, thanks all you "experts" for your information! I have a good feeling about this year's artichokes. And the cardoons that made it through the winter! (Alas, the fig trees may have died from all the cold wind, at least the above-ground portions.) Now I may have to start a new thread about the capers... I LOVE capers, but didn't realize they can be grown in Zone 7. Heck, I don't even know what a caper plant looks like! I wonder if artichokes would be good with a little lemon-caper butter... awww, now I'm hungry too!

If it has been "vernalized", it should produce a harvest during the second year.

{{gwi:30809}}

Hi JonHughes:
I transplanted all of my chokes today, (15 Imperials & 15 Green Globals), Wednesday, April 13th at 7:00 am with the temperature at around 45 degrees. The forecast is 40 degrees during the night and high 50's during the day. I hope they are right. That is, no frost or snow!! Soo far, after 6 hours, since I transplanted them- they are still standing. They are 47 days old. Tomorrow I will take picture to show my SUCCESS or FAILUE!!!!! See you then.

Regards,

Tony From SI,NY

Hey Tony,
You are so funny, you are as bad as the rest of us ;-)

Watching over your babies like a Hen watching her chicks ;-)

I'm jealous of you being able to plant things out. My artichokes are still just little seedlings...but they're growing well.

There is still snow on the ground here...but I can see the grass in places now. Some of my beds are even uncovered. Now we just need the night temps to warm up some. It's still only in the low 20's at night. Oh well...another month or so should do it.

wow you guys,is just beautiful "fruits" I used to lived in Portland.OR in a very ruled condo-hood(no gardening allowed),2 years ago we noved to NC I got my tiny piece of "land" and turns out I love gardening this year I start a purple or Romagna(heirloom)from seed is about time to put them on the groung but I wiil not get crop 'til next year so I was thinking to get some of the green globe(I've seen them at the HD)they are 3 or 4 little plants in one 8"pot my ? is do I separete them or do I have to thin(I hate thining by the way)any advice or tips on how to best grow them is welcome thanks.

Hi Again:
Today was a good day! April 20th. I began the setup and preparation of my Victory garden.. Here's a recap of my accomplishments:

1.) Finish tilling all of my garden sections.
2.) Completion of pole bean trellis 10Lx10Wx6H feet.
3.) Completion of cucumber trellis.
4.) Completion of zucchin seeding in separate section.
5.) Completion of Pole Bean seeding in seperate section.
6.) Completion of Bush Bean Seeding in seperate section.
7.) Winter compost pile now ready for garden use.
8.) Work In Progress regarding the planting of Basils, Cucumbers, and carrots.

Regarding my 30 artichokes that were transplanted on April 13th, - to date I lost 5 of them due to cold evening 35+ degrees weather. My tomatoes, both beefsteak and plums are doing well in the coldframe. By mid May they will be transplanted.

No pictures - having problems with camera. It should be repaired by next week.......

Hope this good weather keeps up - 55+ days, 40+ evenings....

Regards to all you gardeners,
Tony From SI,NY

I found this a while back. It might be helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Artichokes in Spite of Mother Nature

I found this a while back. It might be helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Artichokes in Spite of Mother Nature

Can anyone tell me whta's causing this problem on my artichoke leafs?

This morning I found a large leaf that seems to be chewed off. It was about 2 inches circle at the end of the leaf. Could it be mice, pasums, or leaf insect?????

What I did for tonight was to sprinkle salt around the plant to prevent slugs, if any,... also put out a small mouse trap with cheese.

thanks for replying,
Tony

This is an awesome thread! The pictures are great! I've got a question about dividing my artichoke crowns. My plants are four years old and I've almost harvested the last of the globes this season (So Cal). I've heard it's good to divide the crowns every few years and I'd like to do a little reorganizing of the garden anyway. I could sure use some words of wisdom on this process as it will be the first time I've done it. I'm going to try to tack on a picture of my plants back in April.

{{gwi:118499}}

Hi joneskingdom,

Nice plant brother ;-)

If you are done for the year, go ahead and do it now, the procedure is as follows:
1.Cut it down to within 3" of the ground.

2. It has a very large root system, save as much as possible.Dig it completely out of the ground.

3.cut out each stalk (should be around five)and keep as much root as possible with each stalk.

4.Amend the planting hole and water it thoroughly.

5. plant each stalk(hopefully with lots of roots still attached)

6. You will probably get a small secondary harvest in a couple of months.

Ahh, I've read this whole conversation start to finish, totally on topic for my question about growing artichokes from seed.

My interest was piqued from finding some artichoke tea in the new Asian market in Mobile, which is the zone 8B gardening zone. I have the seeds, but did not plant them earlier in the year because we've had a drought and I've got all I can handle keeping things alive as it is.

So I do have another question for this conversation:
Might I start seeds in pots NOW and have them progress enough by winter to survive outdoors with mulching?
Thanks for any help.

As far as surviving the winter.... you shouldn't have any issues in Alabama, you have about the same mild temps as me in Southern Oregon, but as far as planting and growing, go for it.

I'm planning a fall planting in Phoenix. How many weeks before planting out do it usually take with artichokes? Also, I have Tavor seeds Nd am thinking about getting some purple from Baker creek. Any experience, good or bad with either?
I'm not expecting any chokes until springtime, but the Tavor is supposed to give chokes in the first planting season.

Hi Tracydr,
Plant away... the sooner the better ;-)

Thanks for the tips jonhughes! I'm excited to hear about the possibility of a second harvest. Bonus. I'll be working on my plants this week so I'll let you know how things go. By the way, I'm not sure what was more impressive in your pictures: the bountiful harvest or the sweet compost setup. Very nice.

How many years does it take before artichokes yield fruit?

Mine is in it's second year, and still no artichokes yet.

Hi Avocado101,
About 10 times sooner than an Avocado ;-)
Some say from Seed Two years
I always get a small crop my first year.
These pics are taken today with Seeds planted in February

{{gwi:118500}}

{{gwi:78297}}

{{gwi:118501}}

{{gwi:118502}}

Whee - I started this post ages ago, and today decided I'd better check back in, to see what keeps it "on top" so long.

My chokes are beginning to bloom now, very gorgeous purple toppers. I admit we didn't much care for eating them, but perhaps I waited too long to harvest ??

They are growing in one of my cedar box beds, and now that they are beginning to fade, I assume I will be cutting them down, as I see new growth coming up from the roots. I decided to try interplanting with sweet and regular potatoes, to utilize the space while the old growth is waning. So far - so good. Last year, I harvested quite a few sweet potatoes in my other planting boxes, and they were very tasty.

Not sure how well they will do as companion planting, but for now they are healthy looking.

Note - in my original post - I mentioned cool weather, meant to say we do have moist cool weather - ocean influence.

Bejay

Thanks for the reply jon. I think I need to move mine. It's planted awfully too close to a big tree. It's not growing fast as I would like.

What temperature do they like to germinate at? I have the seeds outdoors but wondering if I should bring them in? I also just bought some violet seeds today which I still need to start. The ones I have planted are the Tavor.

Artichokes can be started from seed in a greenhouse, or even in a well lit, warm room by the windowsill. Starting anytime from around late February, plant a couple of seeds into 9cm pots using a good quality soil-based composts. You may wish to mix in a little horticultural grit or perlite to help with the drainage. Give the seeds a further, light covering of compost, then water in well - placing them in a greenhouse or warm room once the excess water has drained off. Water as necessary from that point on, but at no time should the compost be left sodden or be allowed to completely dry out.
. The seeds should germinate between 2-3 weeks but they will need to remain in their protected environment right up until the threat of late frosts are over. Wait a couple of weeks after germination before removing the weaker artichoke seedlings from each pot. They can now be placed outside, but they will still need 2-3 weeks to harden off before planting out into their final position, so try to keep them under some sort of cover such as a cold frame or plastic tunnel. Starting them off early in a protected environment like this is a vital step in producing artichokes during the first year, whether they are grown as an annual or as a perennial.
. Artichoke seedlings need lots of nutrients as they develop, so feed them once a week with a good quality liquid plant fertilizer. They will be ready for planting outside once the soil has warmed up and - as said before - once the danger of frost is over. Typically the transplants should be around 8 to 10 inches tall, with stocky stems and two sets of true leaves. Because they grow quite large, they should be planted at least 4 feet apart into a rich, deep, free-draining soil. For best results place them in a sheltered position where they can receive full sun for most of the day.Start artichoke seeds indoors, 2 seeds per pot. Keep moist, in a warm place, until seeds germinate in 7-21 days, depending on soil temperature. Transplant strongest seedlings about 2 weeks before the last frost. Artichokes need a cool period (250 hours below 10� C (50� F) before they flower, but will not survive frost. In optimum conditions at least 75% of seeds will germinate. Germination temperature: 20�-30� C (70� F to 80� F).

{{gwi:78295}}
.

Thanks Jon. I'm starting them now so it looks like I should bring them inside, temps outside are in the 90-100 in the daytime. Our planting guide recommends starting transplants in the fall in AZ.
It should be just the right temp to germinate in the house but I'll need to set up my lights, which I was hoping to avoid. I start my fall tomatoes and peppers on the porch, outside.
Does celery need about the same temperature as artichoke?

Well, I tasted my first homegrown artichoke yesterday! It was really good! I think I harvested it a bit young compared to the biggies at the grocery store, since it had no choke to speak of, but on the other hand it would have been perfect for sauteing it was so tender. Thanks to all you guys who contributed to this thread. I wouldn't have gotten here without you, and artichokes are hands down my favorite vegetable! There's still lots of room for improvement and learning with my patch, but this really is one of my long-term gardening goals achieved.

Cheers!

Great thread!
I have been contemplating growing artichokes after seeing some massive plants being used as major design elements in the yards down the hill from me.
I was at the garden center yesterday and they had some in 4 inch pots on sale for $1.99 - Impulse buy!
SO - questions for the experts:
1) how long can this guy stay in this pot (a week? a month?)
2) can it be grown in a large pot? What soil mixture is best? I can put it in the ground if that's better, but I'm unsure of the soil quality here.
3) There has been a violent ongoing battle between me and the ground squirrels. They have been stealing half my tomatoes and completely chewed my zucchini plants to the nub. Will they go for this one too?

The foliage is so beautiful, I'm almost sorry I only bought one...might have to go back this week!

Thanks in advance!
Nancey

{{gwi:118503}}

{{gwi:118504}}

Hi Nancy,
That is an awesome deal and great looking plants, a couple of thoughts :

Most of the pics of the mature artichokes on this thread are pics of my Artichokes,or WERE my Artichokes, this is the third and Final year that I am going to grow Artichokes.
As you can see by my pics, Artichokes grow great in my garden, but I can not keep ground squirrels or gophers,or moles or whatever the heck is crawling around down in the ground from eating every single Artichoke root, It just isn't worth the trouble anymore,they don't bother any other root than the Artichoke roots, so if I have Artichokes growing, they come and eat them, if I don't have Artichokes, they are never around and I have no more worries.

Second thing:
They have HUGE taproots, if you want them to thrive ,they MUST have deep access to earth, they can be grown in deep pots, but you would have to be sold out to the cause and devote the necessary time and energy into preparing and maintaining a perfect growing medium....lots and lots of work...

Google "Al's Gritty Mix" and it will lead you to different options that will allow you to grow anything perfectly in a pot
Hope this helps...come back often and let us know how it is going ;-)

Saying goodbye to my awesome harvests ;-(

{{gwi:30807}}

{{gwi:78301}}

{{gwi:78593}}

{{gwi:32093}}

{{gwi:45779}}

Sigh, JonHughes' last comment depresses me. I have a half dozen artichoke plants that have limped through the long hot summer in containers (in too heavy a mix, but I'm learning) and are alive if not exactly thriving. When it cools off a little I plan to put them in the ground, and was hoping they could be planted without a gopher-wire floor in the bed, but this comment makes it seem like I should go the extra mile and use wire. I have two questions - how can you tell if the roots are being eaten from below? And, are artichokes likely to attract the attention of bunnies and other above-ground critters? The area I will plant has a lot of wild thistle in it (my side of the fence now cleared and solarized) so I'm hoping they'll attract less critters than say, tomatoes would.

They dry up and fall over while in full bloom, and make no mistake, I sunk in a two foot tall wire cage on all of my beds, I thought they never went two feet deep, well, I was wrong...dead wrong ;-(

BTW.. No other critters ever bothered my Artichokes.

{{gwi:33988}}

{{gwi:33997}}

{{gwi:118505}}

Hi Jon,
Thanks for the advice. This is a picture of the pot I was thinking of using. It housed a palm for years that suddenly croaked this spring.
It will be quite an undertaking to dump out, clean and refill, but I think the artichoke will look really nice in it.
Do you think it's big enough to handle the roots? I'm guessing the pot is around 2 1/2 feet tall
(scuse the mess around it!)
{{gwi:118507}}

I am assuming you are using a pot because:
1.You need too
2.You want too
3.You have too

Because if you can plant it in the ground, you are going to be wayyyyy ahead of the game.

If it was me and one of the reasons applied to me, I would use a masonry blade and cut off the bottom of the pot, dig down a couple of inches and bury the bottom in soil, fill the pot with all kinds of good soil/amendments, and get a lazer drip system installed as a loop.

Once this plant gets growing, you will not have access to the top of the pot, the "spillover" will be substantial, and watering will be much more effective with lazer cut drip line.

The Tap root is at least 2' long and a myriad of tributary roots will also be crammed in that pot, it can be done,but it will take some work to get it to thrive in a less than optimum environment.

This Pic was taken 5 -15 , I planted it (four leaf transplant), 2-13, in 3 months it was 5' wide and 4' tall.

{{gwi:45777}}

ok - it was more of a #2 kind of thing. I thought it would look nice and I wouldn't have to worry about gophers. (or ground squirrels from chomping on it before it get's too tough for them)
Now I'm rethinking this whole thing, but meanwhile it's in a 4inch pot and growing taller everyday.
I'll put it in an empty spot in the garden so it will benefit from the sprinkler system and will have to take my chances with the gophers.

Hey Jon Hughes, I have a question about the photo you posted a few comments ago, of the 2' wire basket in the planting hole. Do you leave part of the basket above the soil surface? In the photo it looks like there are about 6" above surface which is similar to what I'm considering to also help ward off above ground critters- but I wonder if the plant will clear the above-ground wire fence as it grows? But I also thought your photo might just be an example of the basket and not representative of how you would plant an artichoke in it. Also, related question, if a similar basket (slightly larger mesh than your photo) had a bottom in it, would the taproot/root system find its way around it or would the basket end up confining the plant? Thanks so much for your advice, sb.

Hi,
A two foot tall cage w/bottom should work out fine (by the time the roots get over two foot long,they should have no problems getting through the mesh. What varmints could be impeded by a 6" fence surrounding your plants ???

Mine were placed at ground level when finished with compost and such...

>What varmints could be impeded by a 6" fence surrounding your plants ?
Good point. maybe a more honest angle is....digging (deeper) is such hard work! lol.
And thanks for the feedback about the bottom of the basket. Someone just gave me a half dozen wire baskets with bottoms so I intend to put them to use, starting with the artichokes.

tonysiny - I've been following this wonderful thread. Did you find out what was eating your leaves? How did your plants turn out. We need to read the final chapter! Hope you were successful.

I just posted a video showing how to propagate Artichokes, if you find a plant you like (neighbor, friend,etc ), just ask them if you could take one or two shoots, it is helpful to their yield, as well as it gives a clone of the good plant to you, the problem with seeds or starts, is like what Forrest Gump said, "You never know what you are going to get", but with a shoot, the plant will be a clone of the parent.

{{gwi:32093}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Artichokes

I planted two plants late spring 2010 so did not get fruit until this year. We were a bit disapointed in them as there did not seem to be much to eat on any of the leafs. The hearts were good though. Plants were of good size and had many flowers. I have followed this thread since last yr so thought I knew when to pick but am wondering what went wrong. Fertilizer, water, too much sun ???

So I have cut them down for this yr, and they are back up with new shoots. How hard (deg F) a freeze can they take.

by the way - located mid Willamette Valley, OR

What an excellent thread. Thanks to everyone who has been here before me.

Gophers rule here, so my artichokes are planted in raised (really really raised at 2' off the ground) beds with gopher wire on the ground under the whole bed.

For me the whole point of growing my own artichokes is to get them when they are young and small and I can steam 3-4 of them for myself....yum.

Here are my questions: In my Zone 8b, should I cut the whole plant all the way to the ground about now, or just the old blooming stalks?

I just went out today and pulled out all of the dead and dying leaves from the outside and there are still a lot of healthy primary plants or crowns in there. Clearly this bed is overcrowded. Should I try to dig the whole (please please please say "no") plants out and reduce them in size, or can I just take the pups off of the outside (oh that would be sooooooo much easier).

Any help would be appreciated.
Susan

I live in Zone 7 Central VA - what are chances of success with growing artichokes and when should they be started?

No one has mentioned the fertlizer requirements for artichokes during the growing season.
I read that you should provide nitrogen. Anyone know if that's correct?

I want to grow asparagus near my artichokes but heavy nitrogen around asparagus is bad as it encourages foliage and not spears. Dilemmas.