Artichokes

 How to Grow and Care for Artichokes




Artichoke plants (Cynara scolymus) are herbaceous prickly perennials that are members of the Asteraceae family, including thistles (their blooms are remarkably similar), dandelions, and sunflowers.


Artichokes need full sun (at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day) and are best grown in sandy well-drained fertile soil for their edible flower buds that appear in the early summer of year two, which must be harvested when they are 3 inches in diameter before the flowers open. Tender artichokes are preferable. Artichoke plants will go dormant in hot weather.  When temperatures cool off in late summer and fall, the plants will start growing again and you may get a second harvest.



Artichoke flowers open into striking large, dome-shaped purple thistles that are lovely, pollinator-friendly and strikingly fragrant if allowed to blossom on the plant.

Care and feeding


Artichokes are heavy feeders, so add compost or aged manure into the planting hole at planting time and periodically throughout the growing season.

Artichokes love deep watering and have a lifespan of 3 to 5 years during which they can take up space, growing 3-6 ft. tall and spreading 4-5 ft. wide. 

It is advisable after the last harvest in the Fall to cut the plants to soil level (or a few inches above) and cover them with two to four to six inches of organic mulch, like straw. Remove the straw and leaves after the last frost in the spring.


Artichoke pests and diseases


The leaves are silvery-green in colour with a long, arching shape, which unfortunately are a haven for snails and slugs if you don't remove the dead and decaying leaves.

Aphids too can also become a nuisance, especially during damp weather with younger, tender leaves, but they can be hosed off before they take over. Giving the plants enough space for air to flow freely will help minimize aphid problems.

Botrytis, or grey mold, can affect leaves and flower bracts.4 It is most pervasive on damaged leaves, which will turn brown and then greyish. Remove affected leaves as soon as the disease is apparent. For severe infections, use a fungicide for edible plants, such as neem oil.


Types of Artichokes


  • 'Big Heart' is a thornless variety that can handle some heat.
  • 'Green Globe' is the variety most often grown commercially in California, but it does not adapt as well to less-than-ideal growing conditions. Produces good quality buds. Also known as 'Vert Globe'.
  • 'Imperial Star' is widely adaptable, easy to grow from seed, and bred to be grown as an annual. Bears four-inch wide, spineless buds. This is the variety recommended for gardeners in zones 6 and colder.
  • 'Purple of Romagna' is a tender Italian heirloom favored by chefs.
  • 'Violetto' is an Italian heirloom prized for its production of dozens of small side shoots.

How to Propagate Artichokes

Select shoots from an established plant that produced well the previous year.   Remove shoots in the spring when they are about 8 inches high.  Cut the shoot off below the soil, at the point where it is attached to the mother plant at the root ball.  Carefully pull the roots that are attached to the shoot from the root ball.  Plant the shoot in a new spot or share with friends!


Artichoke recipe



Everyone has their favorite artichoke heart recipe. Here is mine https://www.sipandfeast.com/baked-artichoke-hearts/ 



References

1. Boeckmann, C. (2024, April 24). How to grow artichoke plants: The complete guide. Almanac.com. https://www.almanac.com/plant/artichokes 
2. Iannotti, M. (2022, July 13). Growing and caring for artichoke plants. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/tips-for-growing-artichokes-1403455 

Location: Willowgate Community Gardens, Andsbury Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. Kindly don’t engage in trolling, flame-baiting, name-calling, insulting, stereotyping or gratuitous attacks. Thank you for being a good citizen.

Popular posts from this blog

The complex world of birdsongs and mimicry

Image
 The complex world of birdsongs and mimicry Some years ago, I came across a fascinating study by BBC on birdsongs that showed the human ear could only detect a subset of the frequencies - by shifting the audio waveform to a human audible frequency it was clear that we were listening to just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. That got me thinking - how complex is the world of birdsongs? Birdsongs are traditionally defined as the long, often complex learned vocalizations produced mostly by males but also by females to attract mates (typically only during mating season) and defend their territories (year-round). In contrast, bird calls are usually shorter, simpler, innately known (not learned) sounds for more discrete functions, such as signalling about predators and food.  Analysis of Parus minor , aka Oriental tit, bird calls by Toshitaka Suzuki and his colleagues at The Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan show that the shorter coded message involves syntax, or ...
Read more

Spring blossoms at Willowgate Community Garden

Image
 Spring blossoms at Willowgate Community Garden We've had some pretty wet weather this spring and there has been a lot of talk about the weeds in Willowgate Community Garden, but today I want to take you on a visual tour of some of the spring blossoms.  And while we are about it, I'll share some tips to grow Irises, Roses and Blackberries and beneficial flowering plants ... so without further ado, let's get started. Bearded Iris California Gold Poshy Purple Bearded Iris Best grown in full sun, Bearded Irises ( Iris germanica, so sometimes called German Irises) grow from shallow, fleshy roots called rhizomes . Their distinctive flowers have three upright petals called " standards " and three cascading petals called " falls ". Running down the centre of each fall near the base is a “ beard ” that resembles a furry caterpillar.  The leaves of the bearded iris are flattened and sword-like, and the plants grow to varying heights. Dwarf varieties may stand j...
Read more

Eucharistic miracles that defy science

Image
 Eucharistic miracles that defy science Credit: St Junipero Serra According to Catholic Catechism, CCC 1376: The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation ." Hard for non-believers to wrap their heads around, so what about the instances where the change was literal??   “ Eucharistic miracle " refers to extraordinary empirical signs of Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist, such as bleeding hosts or the transmutation of a consecrated host...
Read more