Globe artichokes and cardoons

[Mrs Ava]

Have promised a chum some offsets from my artichokes, plus I want to propogate my cardoon.  I notice they have plenty of little side shoot/offsets at the base of the plants and wondered how to go about slicing them off and growing them on...and when to do it? 

[Mrs Ava]

[jennym]

Do it at the end of the season, make sure you get root and growing part, cut off & pot up somewhere a bit sheltered for them to build up more root over winter. Plant out in April.
If you don't think there's enough root on the offsets this year, pile up some softish soil around them and they will produce more roots and you can cut them off and plant out all at the same time in April.

[Mrs Ava]

Excellent!  Thanks JennyM.  The shoots are quite small at the moment so I think I will try piling up so compost around the bases of the plants.

[Moggle]

Do it at the end of the season, make sure you get root and growing part, cut off & pot up somewhere a bit sheltered for them to build up more root over winter. Plant out in April.

Do you rekon I should do the same for some seedlings that germinated last month? I knew it was too late really, but couldn't bear to wait almost a whole year!

[flowerlady]

I have always wanted to grow these plants.  What is the actual difference between the two?

Which makes the better eating of the two?  Is there a great deal of difference in the taste?

Is one easier to grow that the other?

There is lots to learn I'm sure!

[Mrs Ava]

Globe artichoke you eat the immature flower bud.  Cardoons you eat the flower stem.  I didn't eat the cardoon this year, but it is gorgeous to look at and now it is bulking up, I may well try next year.  Globe artichokes were hugely successful and I had more flowers that I really wanted to eat so I left a couple per plant to flower and the bees adored them! 

I love the taste of globe artichokes, but they are a fiddle, and I do think they are an aquired taste.  If you have the space, and don't mind something quite permanent on the plot, then I would say, give them a whirl!

[flowerlady]

Terrific, I love the taste of globe artichoke,  and I certainly have the space on the plot - now that we are only two!

Is there a variety, supplier that you would recommend?

[jennym]

Do it at the end of the season, make sure you get root and growing part, cut off & pot up somewhere a bit sheltered for them to build up more root over winter. Plant out in April.

Do you rekon I should do the same for some seedlings that germinated last month? I knew it was too late really, but couldn't bear to wait almost a whole year!

yes moggle

Flowerlady - the one I grow is Green Globe Improved, but unfortunately can't remeber where I bought the seeds, but they are quite common.

EJ - I tried cardoon stalks, wrapped them to blanch, etc but thought they were not very good to eat really, too stringy. the sort of thing you might want to eat if you were really desperate. Maybe I did it wrong. Would be interested to know what you think if you try them. I just grow cardoons for the flowers and as a windbreak now.

[Mrs Ava]

Mine are green globe also, grown from seeds which I think I got from Marshalls.

[aquilegia]

How much room would one globe artichoke need?

[jennym]

At least a square metre. More when they get older.

[aquilegia]

OK - maybe not then. Four or my five veg patches are just over 1m square and the other one is 50cmx2.5m ish.

I need a lottie! (Why do I have to work?)

[Moggle]

Cheers Jennym for the advice. Never even eaten a fresh artichoke before, just the hearts in oil/vinegar.

My seedlings are green globe improved, given to me by a wonderful colleague  ;D

Someone on my lottie site grew 3 or 4 plants this year, and I gaze enviously at them every time I drive past.