Artichokes

When Richard took me to meet his family the first time, his mom made fabulous stuffed artichokes. Unfortunately, I had never seen whole artichokes before and I had no idea how to eat them...it took me forever to eat the leaves and Richard dutifully scraped the choke off the heart for me. I was so wrapped up in my eating challenge, I failed to notice the rest of the family had finished eating much earlier than me and they were all patiently waiting for me to finish so they could have dessert. I'm happy to say, I not only learned how to eat them, but also how to grow and cook them.

Artichokes grow well in frost-free regions when daytime temperatures range between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and night time temperatures range from 50 – 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm climate gardeners have success with 'Green Globe'. Plant early in spring after the last frost as high temperatures sometimes cause artichokes to open their buds prematurely.

Colder regions might fare better with 'Imperial Star'.

Artichokes grow to 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Select a planting site where they will not shade out smaller plants. Artichoke plants produce for about five years so select a spot where they do not have to be moved each season.

Artichokes grow well in sandy loam. Add about 6 inches of compost to poor soil to improve drainage before planting. Bury the roots shallowly, 2 to 3 feet apart. Keep the soil moist, but never soggy throughout the growing season. Enrich the soil with composted manure and green sand to ensure adequate supplies of nitrogen and potassium throughout the growing season.

If growing in containers, plant artichokes in containers a minimum of 20 inches deep by 36 inches wide. Containers should have at least 4 drainage holes. Add at least 1/4 inch of gravel to the bottom of the container to facilitate good drainage.

Artichokes do not grow true to their variety from seed. For reliable results, plant artichokes from root sections of your desired variety.

Harvest artichokes when they have reached their full size, but the leaves are still tight.

Cut back the plants to ground level after harvesting. Cover them with a thick layer of straw for winter protection.

Weeds, Deer, and Whiteflies in the Garden

Isn't it stinky when you get sick in spring? Finally the weather is nice and you're ready to get planting when bam! along comes the pollen...and the sinus infection...and suddenly your energy level is at zero. I haven't worried too much about my plants during the two weeks I've been sick because we've had a steady drizzle of rain to keep the plants and seedlings happy.

But I decided I'd better drag myself out to the gardens today in case the weeds were taking over.

After several cups of hot sage and peppermint tea, I expended all my energy tying my shoes, but somehow made it out the door to check on my plants. Of course I felt better once I got outside.

The container garden looks absolutely beautiful. The herbs are draping over their pots, the flowers are all blooming and the strawberries are ripening.

I wasn't so happy to see the swarm of whiteflies around my potted citrus however. I sprayed them with diluted neem and a few drops of dishwashing soap. Hopefully this will be enough. I'm going to spray them with water everyday for a few days to discourage them from coming back.

For severe infestations, Neem is a good organic control for whiteflies. It only works on contact, however. That's good in one way because it doesn't leave chemical residues on your plants. Yellow sticky traps, on the other hand will continue to work for weeks. Hang them from tree branches on the level of the swarming insects where they will not be in direct sunlight. They are inexpensive and effective, but you can also make your own by spray painting cardboard with yellow paint and coating the dried paint with petroleum jelly.




In the pasture garden, things didn't look so good. Deer tracks through the rows explained why only about 50% of what I planted has grown. Why didn't the deer bother to eat the weeds that are quickly taking over the newly cultivated raised beds? I spent the day laying newspaper and covering this with landscape fabric. I find a layer of newspaper does a better job of suppressing weed growth than the fabric by itself. Tomorrow I will replant the pole beans, corn and melons. As for the deer, they seem to stay away after I've spent time in the garden.

In the end, it didn't really matter how bad my garden looked. What mattered was how much better I felt after spending a day gardening.

Now it's off to the Wellborn Community Garden to install the drip irrigation.