Topic: Chinese Artichokes in pots

[Hector]

I fancy growing in pots to make easier to harvest nd control spread.

Any of you done this...wondering wht size of pot?

[Obelixx]

I grew some of these in 60cms wide and deep pots a few years ago.  I fed and watered and nurtured them and got a miserable harvest of small, pretty tasteless roots.  Stick to proper fartichokes in the ground is my advice.

[Duke Ellington]

I tried it in a couple of plastic dustbins. In my opinion it's not worth doing. The artichokes were tiny and not worth all the water I gave them in the summer. They want open ground. If you really want to grow them find a patch of ground and try to be meticulous when you harvest them. They will still come back but if you remove as much as you can will be controlling them.

Duke

[Hector]

Thanks both.....pot idea out then....just a tad cautius after Jerusalem's got under my paving path.

[PondDragon]

I've currently got some in pots in the greenhouse, but I'm planning to plant them out when it warms up a bit. Growing very strongly at the moment though. I'd probably have planted the tubers direct but they'd all shrivelled up after I got them through the post so they needed urgent planting. Since they're quite low growing, I thought I might try to intercrop them with something like yacon or maybe with squashes.

[Vinlander]

It's actually easier to line a trench with good UV stabilised plastic (a single piece, NO holes except the minimum number you put in yourself, down the middle as far from the edges as you can).

Leave the plastic visible above the soil so you can watch for escapees (hence the UV). This works well for CA, but tuberous peas go deep so it's essential to lift the whole thing out every couple of years (but they aren't as difficult to eradicate anyway).

On the other hand I bulked up my CA stock in 4 & 6 litre pots and had no trouble with tuber size (except I've never seen one bigger than my little finger on any method so maybe my expectations are low).

They are shiny smooth and sooo easy to brush clean anyway - I tend to stir-fry and eat anything thicker than a pencil - delicious (and gas-free).

Cheers.

[Hector]

I think I will do  pots this time then as these are wee plants. That way I have more time/ tubers to sort out in a trench next year. Thanks all...much appreciated :)