Potted Artichoke

In past years we had little success with growing Artichokes with poor size and disease problems. Last year we planted seed in April/May and potted up until transplanting into 200 litre halves in July. This resulted in a great yield with just a couple of plants. So this year we are following the same routine but putting in a few extra plants. The photograph shows a survivor from last year. Not sure how it will go. One critical factor was timing. A couple of other Artichokes planted late did not grow sufficiently well to produce flowers. We will see if these carry overs will produce something in the second year or whether we need to plant freshly from seed each year for the best results. It is pleasurable to sit in front of the TV peeling away a leaf at a time, dunking it into a sauce of some type and then scraping off the soft flesh with your teeth.