Artichoke Growing Experiment
In a previous experiment, Winter Lake had studied how to sprout and grow artichokes from seed. This article is the follow on part of the experiment.
Winter Lake had a contract to study artichokes growing from seeds. The goal was to produce small artichoke plants for delivery to the farmer. The last delivery did not take place, due to the farmers soil not being prepared. There were fifty two artichoke plants left in pots ranging from inch and a half round peat pots to four inch square plastic pots.
All the left over artichoke plants were planted in a sandy loam on August 10, 2008. The watering schedule was twice a day for four days and then once a day thereafter. The ongoing results follow.
Aug. 10- Planted fifty two artichoke plants in a four by eight foot raised bed. Soil is sandy loam. Watered immediately and in the afternoon. Planting centered around nine am.
Aug. 14- One artichoke dug up by feral cat. Replanted.
Aug. 17- Noticeable new growth on all plants, no deaths, one slightly yellow plant, new growth starting on it.
Aug. 20- Had some rain lately. All plants healthy and growing.
April 30, 2009 A long winter has ensued. Several issues have kept me from finishing this report. This experiment was concluded successfully. The results were that forty nine of the artichoke plants survived the winter. All remaining plants were healthy. In early March, 2009, all but ten plants were removed from the bed and potted up for sale and delivery. The potted plants had a 91% survival rate. The remaining plants in the bed now range from one and a half feet in height to three feet in height. Most of them are already putting on artichoke flowers and I have harvested one artichoke so far.
May 13, 2009 Update Two artichokes have been harvested and consumed. All the plants are beginning to produce. Here is a picture of the test bed. One plant is just a little less than four feet high. The rest range down to two feet.
June 2, 2009 There
has been harvests of artichokes from two plants. The plants are busy putting up
more. It looks like the bed needs to be thinned to six plants. That
will happen in the fall, when they go dormant. Here is a picture of
the plants with artichokes on them.
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