Growing Artichokes

[veg4681]

I got them as offsets from someone else and didnt let them fruit in the first year and I got a pretty good crop last year - about 7 artichokes from one plant.

Im in Leeds and we've had a few hard frosts but the plant seems ok still.

When it comes to harvesting, cut the first (king) head and you should get more lateral ones sprouting and make sure to harvest them before the leafy-petal bits start to open. If you cant get round to eating them all you can cut them off the plant with a bit of stalk and stick them in damp sand for a week or two.

In Autumn time you can get youreself some more plants by carefully scraping back the soil and separating baby plantlets from the mummy plant.

We love you Wormlady! Thank you so much for the post. At last someone who has actually grown the stuff with a harvest to talk about!

Hmmm....7 buds per plant on a good harvest, so I reckon 2 plants should be enough for me (even allowing for 4-5 buds on my own sub-standard effort ). You said you didn't let them fruit the first year but some of us have Imperial Star that is supposed to fruit in the first year of sowing and obviously want to enjoy the harvest this year too. Maybe we can compromise a bit here. Leave one plant for eating in 1st year and the other for better crop in 2nd year.

From what you've described, it sounds like Artichoke work a bit like strawberry e.g. non-harvest in first year and they have plantlets that are like runners...just as well I only have 6 seeds .

Chaps, I think we're still better off with Imperial Star than Green Globe that you'll not harvest from 1st year of sowing, surely that's a big bonus!

[smallblueplanet]

We love you Wormlady! Thank you so much for the post. At last someone who has actually grown the stuff with a harvest to talk about!

Oy! We've grown them here for a couple of years and had a crop last year of Green Globe the 'bog standard' artichoke you get in the UK seed catalogues.

A lot of this thread was about growing from seed - difficult to get cuttings before they've grown? - and about growing Imperial Star from seed. Which although a perrenial is often grown in the States as an annual, because of climate restrictions and artichokes not overwintering.

[Lavenderblue]

oh so I could start them off sort of nowish - have access to an unheated greenhouse and then put them outside before it gets too warm. Would that work do you think?

[veg4681]

Oy! We've grown them here for a couple of years and had a crop last year of Green Globe the 'bog standard' artichoke you get in the UK seed catalogues.

Sorry love for the misunderstanding & my forgetfulness, I wasn't too sure how successful your Artichoke growing effort was because I never got any answers about the number of buds you'd get from one plant. I was still kind of waiting for this vital information until... I'd have to read pages & pages of stuffs on growing artichoke from the Net (& still no answers) what Wormlady provided in a few paragraphs. I feel I'm a bit clearer now but of course you already knew most of that.

[smallblueplanet]

Sorry Ami, was just feeling a bit like I was typing to myself - I missed the bit asking about number of buds per plant. We didn't really give ours any care, last year was a bit washed out really but we got a crop of 3 or 4 from each plant and left 2 or 3 buds on each to 'grow the plant'. We forgot to cover them over winter, but looking out the window down the garden there's still some plants showing (so I think we have survivors!).

This year cos the small harvest we had last year was sooo tasty we intend to be a bit more 'serious' about growing them. Which is why we got some Imperial Star & Gros de Laon (thanx Seahorse ) seeds to grow some different varieties for quantity and comparisons sake.

As for bud quantity don't forget the bit about 'chilling' Imperial Star, which tests showed (in the links I posted above I think) increased the number of buds by 80% (in the first year, but the Yanks mainly grow I. Star as an annual)!

[Seahorse]

I seem to be conducting a minor artichoke trial this year. Already have seeds for Green Globe and Gros de Laon, with some for Imperial Star and Violetto on the way. I've also bought some of the Wilko crowns (is that the right term?) which just say 'cardunculus' on the label, so I'm not sure what type they are (GG, I should guess).

[veg4681]

As for bud quantity don't forget the bit about 'chilling' Imperial Star, which tests showed (in the links I posted above I think) increased the number of buds by 80% (in the first year, but the Yanks mainly grow I. Star as an annual)!

This is the description on IS from MoreVeg site:

This is an improved variety of the usual green globe that produces much heavier crops and can get going much more rapidly. This variety can flower in the first year if the seed is chilled before sowing, otherwise it will flower in the second year onwards

I sure want to eat the harvest this year! Sure I will chill my seeds although not sure exactly what you do, pop in the freezer for 24 hour before sowing? Haven't read that far from the Net about chilling seeds, never done it before.

On my seed packet I have the sowing, growing and long term care information if anybody wants to compare notes. It says you can grow from late winter onwards in unheated greenhouse/coldframe. It also say 'remove flowers in the first year so that plant can establish'.

[momol]

I grew artichoke globe 2 years a go from seeds ( but don't remeber the cultivar), it actually crop in it's first year but he was massive and the flower look way too pretty to be eaten so I let it and it did produce some 3 or 4 more smaller flower bulbs. Last year due to shortage of space, I killed it after it actually seccessfully overwinter by it's own and guess what by end of summer last year it pop up again , I cut it back as another attemp to kill them... a month or so a go she come back again...Lol... perhaps I should rescue mine... thanks Manda, Claire,Ami and lavender blue for reminding me how good they are.

Momol

[smallblueplanet]

Until `Imperial Star' was developed, artichokes grown from seed usually did not produce buds in their first year, and if they did, the buds were small and of poor quality. For this reason artichokes were usually sold as root divisions or offsets. But annual `Imperial Star' produces big crops immediately from seed and doesn't require as much chilling or vernalization as perennial varieties, such as `Green Globe' and `Violetto.'

Vernalization is the process of chilling seeds or crowns at temperatures between 34 degrees and 50 degrees, which causes plants to flower earlier. Perennial artichokes require 500 hours or more of vernalization. Temperate climates with long springs usually provide this naturally. But when the climate doesn't, dormant plants can be artificially chilled in the refrigerator for 500 to 600 hours if your area has a short growing season (less than 120 days) or if spring heats up fast.

`Imperial Star' needs only 200 hours of vernalization, so you can simply chill seeds in the refrigerator for two weeks before starting your transplants. Soak them overnight in water, drain and place in a jar filled with moist sand before refrigerating.

Or you can vernalize them naturally by setting your seedlings outside in a cold frame or other protected area while the temperature is in the 34-degree-to-50-degree range for a week or more. Bring them inside or protect them when temperatures dip below freezing.

This natural process produces bigger artichoke bud yields. Plants and seeds that are artificially vernalized in the refrigerator will form chokes faster, but the total number of chokes per plant will be less than from naturally vernalized plants.

From the above link on MotherEarthNews.com. For me the Yanks, who first developed Imperial Star, get the edge on MoreVeg's instructions.

[smallblueplanet]

Imperial Star
(Cynara scolymus)
Easiest to grow from seed.

Specifically bred for annual production, Imperial Star produces artichokes the first season from seed.

Typically 6-8 mature buds, avg. 3-4" diam., per plant; plants 3-4' tall, spreading.

Perennial to Zone 7; otherwise, treat as an annual.

Days to Maturity or Bloom: 85

[smallblueplanet]

.... perhaps I should rescue mine... thanks Manda, Claire,Ami and lavender blue for reminding me how good they are.

Momol

Perhaps???

No perhaps about it! They taste lovely, but they also look great at the back of a border if you don't eat 'em!

[smallblueplanet]

oh so I could start them off sort of nowish - have access to an unheated greenhouse and then put them outside before it gets too warm. Would that work do you think?

Sorry LB missed your post whilst 'arguing the toss' with veg4681!

Sounds okay but check the bit I quoted above, don't let them frost and they should be fine.

[veg4681]

From the above link on MotherEarthNews.com. For me the Yanks, who first developed Imperial Star, get the edge on MoreVeg's instructions.

Doh???? So can I put the seeds in a glass jar (with the lid on) outside (like on my window sill actually) for 2 weeks before sowing but checking on the temp?

[momol]

Thanks Manda, will save him ( used to be 2 now seems to be only 1)...Momol

[smallblueplanet]

Doh???? So can I put the seeds in a glass jar (with the lid on) outside (like on my window sill actually) for 2 weeks before sowing?

Or in the fridge for more safety about temp.

Why not just put germinated seedlings outdoors during the day? According to the bit I highlighted above you get faster but less buds from the fridge vernalising, but more buds from outside/natural vernalising.