Re: Growing artichokes


Stacey,

I've been growing Artichokes for many years, but my climatic conditions
are much different than yours. You didn't say how warm your summers are,
but I assume they are not very hot if your winter temperatures get down to
-10. I live in a USDA zone 9, and lots of commercial Artichoke growers
here in California are in the same zone. The coldest I have ever seen it
here, is +14, but it is normally +20 for the winter nights. You can grow
new plants each year as you said, and treat them as annuals. They can be
started by seed (Green Globe is ok), or by cuttings or side shoots, (the
preferred method). I think the problem you are going to run into is that
the plants do not produce much the first year. We normally cut our plants
down to the ground after they have produced a crop. Then they grow thru
the winter months, and give you a crop of chokes each spring. By the 3rd
year you are getting a good producing plant. The plants seem to take the
frost quite well, but any chokes on the plants when the frost hits will be
damaged, (mostly discoloration). One other thing to remember is that the "
beautiful plants" you refer to get quite ratty looking toward the end of
there production. They would not make a good landscape plant. 


Ed Tucker
edwardt@sonic.net
Santa Rosa, Ca.


Jan 1999, Stacey VanDenburgh wrote:

> Hi All!
> 
> Yes, I've been lurking on this list as of late and every night I go home
> and browse through the ever increasing stack of seed catalogues,
> wondering what I am going to order for this upcoming gardening season. I
> am thinking about trying artichokes, which I love, but I was wondering
> if anyone had any experience growing these beautiful plants in a climate
> similar to mine? I live in Western New York, USDA zone 5, where our
> winter temperature rarely dips below -10 degrees F.  Our last freeze
> date is May 20 and generally our first freeze date is around Oct.10th. I
> know I will have to treat them like annuals and start the chokes indoors
> in February. Has anyone on this list grown artichokes?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> StaceyV
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