[QUOTE=nicky;253440]That Asiago & Artichoke dip & the fun of growing something odd may be worth the space! Maybe I should find a spot for them in the flower beds. I have a feeling that they would be a conversation piece amongst the flowers![/QUOTE]

I think you're on to something with the flower bed idea, Nicky. In the 80's I was into growing everything just for fun- neither of us even like artichokes!:lol:

:lol:

Flower beds it is! I don't know if I like artichokes. I guess I will find out!

Kath,I could be very wrong but that picture looks more like a cardoon than an artichoke plant, very similar but the chokes are smaller and more plentiful plus is overwinters better than a choke. My chokes didn't grow as many stalks as that but they did overwinter well with a bit of protection and I kept them several years on the UK.

The cardoon is also useful but you don't eat the choke you eat the stalk.

XX Jeannine

OOp sforgot, it will get very big and cover quite an are..think Pampas grass.

[QUOTE=Jeannine Anne;253466]Kath,I could be very wrong but that picture looks more like a cardoon than an artichoke plant, very similar but the chokes are smaller and more plentiful plus is overwinters better than a choke. My chokes didn't grow as many stalks as that but they did overwinter well with a bit of protection and I kept them several years on the UK.

The cardoon is also useful but you don't eat the choke you eat the stalk.

XX Jeannine

OOp sforgot, it will get very big and cover quite an are..think Pampas grass.[/QUOTE]

Don't know- never grown cardoon, but I can see on Google Images that the two plants do look alike. The one I posted was labeled artichoke and looked like the ones I grew, but I would recommend everyone else checking out the photos found online to see what's what.

Kath

If anyone is interested I have some seeds that I don't want, I am not sure about germination as they are from 2008 and are an Italian one, but happy to send them if someone wants to have a go

XX Jeannine

Just a note. I believe that you want to make sure you cut off all of the flowers on artichokes before they have a chance to set seed. As I recall, they are poisonous to cattle and the seeds are notorious for spreading long distances.

I usually try to confirm my memory before I post, but it's late and I'm really lazy tonight, so it anyone else has some other info. please correct me!

Last year was my first year for growing artichokes. I got mine from a woman who told me that they overwinter here, and get bigger every year.
Even with our cold summer, my little slip got to be 3 feet in diameter, and about as tall. I got 4 chokes off of it, which I gave to my daughter. They were small.
I made the mistake of putting it in a deer-safe bed, wasting precious room in my garden. I've pulled it to put it outside the fence, since the deer are reputed not to eat it. (Take a look at the spines on the leaves, like thistle, a close relative)
I expect to grow others next year, because I'm too busy with tomatoes this year.
I believe that the same is true for artichokes as for strawberries: expect your second year crop to be much better.
hth
j

I'll also note, that the artichokes I'll be trialing will hopefully produce chokes the first year. They will not survive overwintering.

In order to set chokes the first year, they are going into the fridge for 12-14 days. This is after there are 4-6 true leaves and the planting medium is nearly dry. I hope I don't kill 'em.

Gary

Gary, I too hope you don't kill 'em. Please post your results, I have always wanted to try them, but our climate is not very hospitable. If your pre-chilling works, I will also try it!

That's an interesting technique. I'll be interested in hearing how it turns out for you. Please keep us posted.

I forgot to mention that I'm growing lots of new things this year, because I've got so much more space this year than in the past.
In addition to lots of tomatoes, I'm trying to grow eggplant, (Swallow and Japanese Millionaire-don't you just love those names?) bush lima beans (Thorogreen) winter squash (Sweet Meat and Honey Boat) and watermelon (Blacktail Mountain), if all goes well. I am trying Romanesco, too, and I'm waiting for it to come up.
My lettuce and spinach broke ground on Monday, under the cloche, and I think I saw a beet leaf. Fingers crossed!
j
P.S. Peas just went in-Cascadia and Sugar Ann. Yippee!

Can I grow summer squash here on the Texas coast during the summer? Meaning if I plant some seeds now? The package says so, but it seems to me the humidity would kill it down pretty quick with mildews.

New things
 

I'm trying quite a lot of new things this year so I won't list them all. Some of the more interesting ones, to me anyway, are as follows:

Millefleur tomato
Pyramid Rainbow Chilli Pepper
"Hearts of Gold" Endive
Tromboncino Courgette
Strawberry Spinach (Blitum Capitatum)
Okahijiki (Salsola Komarovii)
Indira F1 Okra
"Black Pearls" Goji Berry
Connover's Colossal Asparagus
Cardoon
Liquorice
Ginger