Artichokes in the sunny South (zone 7b) - ???

[SaltyMomma]

I would LOVE to plant artichokes. They are my ABSOLUTE favorite - request every year for my b'day (since I was a kid), love them more than chocolate - food.

Only a few of my veggie books have any info on these plants and what info they do have is limited. But, I was able to learn that...

- they do well in climates without harsh cold winters, and climates with mild summers.
- they are perennial and will produce for 5 to 6 years.
- they should be covered over with lots of mulch through the winter.

So, I'm wondering... will it be just too hot for them to grow where I am? Will my mostly sandy soil, with some fertilizer, be sufficient?

If I do plant them I think I will do so along the back side of our house which gets sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Seems like that would be the best temperature scenario for where I am.

Any artichoke experts out there? I would love your words of wisdom.

As a "Thank You in Advance" for any advice you can give me here's a little bit of artichoke philosophy...

 

[old fashioned]

That little guy is sure cute!
But to your question....I'm working on growing artichokes here in the Puget Sound area of Wa. Two years ago I got a couple of starts that I poked in the ground in the NE corner of my yard that gets S&W exposure. I didn't do anything else to it & it grew fine & even headed up with small heads. I don't remember exactly what happened (either the kids broke them off or they didn't grow enough before I could harvest) BUT even without any mulch or other protection they had survived our very cold, snowy, long & strange winter of 2008. As spring of 2009 was approaching, there was new growth then we had another late (April for goodness sake) frost & snow that did em in. So I have replanted them again this year & will be mulching & fertilizing heavily but probably not trenching.

Now, I have a book "the Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening" that says this.......

Artichokes are best planted as started seedlings in trenches eight inches deep, lined with one inch of compost or rotted manure. While it does best in rich sandy loam, the artichoke will grow on any kind of soil, so long as it is trenched, pulverized and well manured. Plant roots five to six inches below the surface, cover with soil and tamp firmly. When plants are six inches tall, mulch heavily to preserve moisture. Cut away all but six of the suckers that develop at the base when plant reaches eight inches and transplant the suckers to make a new row. Plant these singly two feet apart, in rows at least four feet apart, or in groups of three in triangles, at least four feet apart in the row. Protect the young suckers with hot caps, evergreen boughs or some other protecting material. Cut plants back to the ground in fall. In cool areas, protect through the winter with an inverted bushel basket with leaves.

During dry weather furnish artichokes with copious amounts of manure water or compost tea. Deep, thorough watering is best, followed by a liberal mulching of half-rotted manure between the rows.

Crops are produced in spring in warmer areas, in summer farther north. Halfway through the growing season, apply a small handful of fertilizer around the base of each plant, and repeat after harvest...............The variety most commonly grown in this country is large Green Globe, which normally buds in its second year.

Hope this helps anyone wanting to know more about artichokes. :happy_flower

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi SaltyMomma,

The advice old fashioned gave you for artichokes applies to cardoons as well -- they are the same family after all. The only advice I would add is DON'T plant the two vegetables near each other as there will be cross pollination problems........ ........!!!!!


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[ninnymary]

Saltymama...I don't know if I can help you much but my neighbor grows an artichoke plant in her front yard. I am also about 2 hours away from the "artichoke capital of the world".

I have noticed that both areas where I have seen artichoke planted have cool foggy mornings and cool summers. They seem to like this type of weather.

I always say, plant whatever you really want. Take the chance, you have nothing to lose.

Mary