THE ARTICHOKE
By Shirley D. Smith Somervell County Master Gardener
A few years back, I discovered a fascinating plant growing in one of my friends garden – a beautiful but unusual plant. It had spines on its leaves and boasted a neon purple but fuzzy good-sized flower. It turned out to be a globe artichoke! I decided then and there I had to have one. I have been growing this plant ever since.
The globe artichoke (Cynara cardunuculus var. scolymus) is a member of the thistle family and shows off this lineage by its spiny grayish leaves. At full maturity, the plant can grow to a width of about 6 feet and a height of 3-4 feet. It would look as good in your flower bed as well as the veggie garden. My plants are in full sun and seem to like it that way. I babied them thru the winter by heavily mulching and covering them with a 5-gallon bucket when it got really cold. I did, however, lose one plant.
Don’t let the name thistle scare you off because the fruit of this plant is wonderful! It falls into the vegetable family and is good to eat. You might be interested to know that the artichoke is actually the bud (immature part) of this plant. The bud contains the heart – the delightful, meaty core of the artichoke and is topped by a fuzzy center (or choke), which is surrounded by rows of petals that protect the artichoke heart. With their tiny thorns, the artichoke’s petals reveal their thistle heritage! If handled carefully, the thorns aren’t a problem. There are artichokes out there that are touted as “thornless.” Beware! These have smaller hearts, less meat and their flavor is not as robust. I have grown artichokes for several years now and eagerly look forward to the time when I can harvest my “crop”.
I planted my artichokes in the fall because they will produce their buds in the spring. From my research, it seems best if you start with transplants rather than seeds as seeds may not breed true and tend to be variable and spiny.
Artichokes are not too fussy about soil, as long as it’s reasonably fertile and well drained. Keep your plants weed free, mulch with well-rotted manure or similar in spring when the soil is moist and warm. Feed with a general fertilizer in the spring to increase yields. To keep your plants young and vigorous (wish I could use this!), divide them every 2-3 years. Slugs and snails can be a problem for young seedlings. Older plants don’t have much of a problem with these critters. Do keep eye out for aphids. These can be knocked off the plants with a stream of water or mashed between your fingers. They like a pH between 6.5 and 8.0. and like to be fed on a regular basis. Watering can be an issue here in our unforgiving summers. They prefer (and note prefer is the key word) deep, fertile, well-drained soils high in organic matter. Well, that eliminates most of Somervell County. However, mine are growing in a raised, soil-amended bed and do well.
This can be a fun and interesting addition to your vegetable garden but don’t be afraid to put it in your flower beds also!
Happy gardening!