Double Cropping Artichokes
Artichokes can be very
prolific. They are a relative of the common thistle and can produce an
enormous amount of blooms each year. For instance, one plant in this area
produced seventy artichokes this spring. That is real production!
Given, it is an older plant and has a lot of suckers, but still, that is a huge
amount of food. One fact that is little known is that in many areas,
artichokes can be double cropped. To get a fall crop of artichokes,
cut down the spent bloom stalk as soon as it stops producing. Continue to
water the stumps and new plants will grow. These plants will produce more
artichokes toward the end of summer and the early fall. The
artichokes will not be as big as the main spring artichokes, but they will be
just as tasty. Here is a picture of spring artichokes from one plant in my
bed. Unfortunately, I didn't put anything in the picture for scale, but
they are full sized artichokes.
Here is a picture of the
first fall artichoke from the same plant. It has several suckers and they
are all starting to produce. This is a first year plant, so there was only
one main stem in the spring. This is a good sized artichoke, but not full
sized. There will be several more by the end of fall. A simple
technique, but effective.
Here is a picture of the
plant. It is on the right side.
Here is a picture of
another bloom coming on the same plant.
