Look! I have artichokes!

[stepstephens2]

I really just wanted to show someone before I had to cut their lovely heads off. This is my first time growing artichokes... I never thought I could. I thought you had to be in a more coastal climate, but apparently not. My tractor scarecrow has been diligently watching over my garden. The artichokes will now be added to my harvest basket.

 

[Carol Dee]

I have not had Artichoke for over 35 years! LOL.
LOVE the scarecrow and your quote at the bottom of the page.
(I always said the only good groundhog is a dead one!)

 

[skeeter9]

Those are gorgeous! I never thought we could grown them in this area, either. When did you plant them?

 

[stepstephens2]

Thanks for the nice comments!

I have to say I cheated a bit on these... I bought them (there's another plant that's out of the picture) from Fresno Ag when they were about 4" tall, so I didn't grow them from seed like most the other things in my garden. The gophers took out every baby hollyhock I had growing 4' away from this spot in early March. I bought them a couple weeks after that and figured that the gophers would go for these too. So, I wasn't ever really thinking they would get to maturity. There are about 10 baby artichokes going up and down the stalks too. I would like to say I got rid of the offending gophers... but every time I say that, they show back up and take out a whole patch of something or other just to show me who's boss.
I did try to make the artichokes feel at home, however. There is a fishing net hanging up on the wooden fence to their right, I surrounded them with all the seashells and rocks my family and I collected from the beach last summer, and I planted ice plant so that it is growing out from under the tractor. I tell them they are in Monterey every morning... maybe they believed me!

 

[NwMtGardener]

ohh those artichokes are so cool! And what is that funky shaped red and green thing in your basket? Tomato? pepper?

 

[stepstephens2]

Yep, that is a mutant tomato. The plant came from a pack of seed I got on Amazon for 30 cents.

 

[digitS']

Aren't those artichoke fields near Monterey strange-looking ?

You did good, Steph!

They are one of my favorite foods! I wish I had some confidence they would be worth trying here . . .

Steve

 

[lesa]

If there is a neater plant- I don't know what it is! Let us know how delicious they are!

 

[stepstephens2]