Check it out! I have artichokes! Homegrown organic artichokes!
Yeah, I’m just a little bit excited.
Homegrown artichokes have been on my dream list for years. I even included “harvest my first homegrown artichoke” as one of the goals for my 2012 garden. And, from what I’ve read and seen elsewhere, artichokes are a wonderful choice for a garden that needs to look as good as it tastes. Big and bold, with silver-toned foliage and giant purple blooms (assuming you don’t eat them all first). In prime artichoke zones, the plants can supposedly get four or more feet across, and four to six feet tall. I’m not sure how large these will grow — northern Virginia is in USDA Zone 7, and that’s considered marginal for artichokes. An exceptionally cold winter could zap these plants. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.
I’ll post more about planting and growing artichokes in another post. In the meantime, have you ever grown these beauties in your garden? If so, please share any tips in the comments section, below. Thanks!
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Artichokes grow like weeds here in southern California. Unfortunately the earwigs can distroy the plant and fruit without constant surveillance. After two failed seasons, I now use Vaseline around the large stem and areas below the artichoke to keep earwigs at bay.
I can grow asparagus in East Texas, but never considered trying artichokes! I’ll have to look into it – I do love artichokes!
**Katy M
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Congratulations on your success! It never even occurred to me to try artichokes! I’ll have to try it now
I’ve tried broccoli, the only bad part about those where the tiny little broccoli colored caterpillars that required a keen eye to find and pick off before eating.
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