Violetto artichoke issue

[davespitzer]

Hi- I decided to try artichokes this year and bought a variety called Violetto from a reputable supplier. I planted 36 seeds in soil blocks and got the following: 2 good seedlings, 4 very weak seedlings, and the rest either did not germinate at all or showed only the edges of the cotyledons emerging. When I finally gave up and examined some of the partially emerged seedlings, I found the root tightly curled in a spiral inside the mostly-intact seed coat. It looked like the root had circled the seed the way a root bound plant does in a plastic pot.
The catalog from which I purchased these seeds clearly states that only about 70% of the seeds germinate, and about 20% of those will be off-type. My question for you is, if you have experience with artichokes, is this an unusual problem, or is it typical of artichokes? I have already requested a replacement of a different variety, but am still curious what you think. Thanks, Dave