My artichoke is flowering

[Novice Gardener]

I planted two crowns from Wilkos earlier in the year and they've grown really well, producing 20 artichokes between them. The artichokes are about the size of tennis balls (some a bit bigger) and I've just started harvesting them to eat but today I've noticed that two of them have now started flowering. Should I cut these off and discard them, or leave em as they are and try and eat the others before they flower?

[Kristen]

I would cut the flowers off, and personally I would cut the buds off too if its their first year - to give the plant more chance to bulk-up.

I've only had the main flower bud off the ones I planted this year, I have cut all the secondary buds off in the hope of having much bigger plants next year.

Mind you, if you have got 20 flower buds on two crowns maybe they aren't that "young" at all? and you haven't got much worry about getting a decent crop NEXT year