My globe artichokes in their second year have only just started to make the chokes in the past couple of weeks. The plants are still quite small having only just made it through last winter - but the artichokes are small and tasty nonetheless.
But I've seen (I think here) that they should start to fruit much earlier than this in June and July ... are mine unusual?
They must be (unusual). I thought mine were late, but they are certainly over now, dead blackened stems from which I am hoping for new shoots which I will protect over the winter, having lost previous plants to cold wet winters.
Very unusual:
The artichokes form during the end of spring usually. I can't see them coming to much although once they form they come through quickly. If you can harvest them before teh frosts, well and good. But then you need to cut the flowering stems right back. the plant will die off like rhubarb, you may not even see it in the ground - put a little straw or manure or dead leaves around it to give a little protection and brush that back in March when the new shoots will come through. It should fruit next year.
Hmmm!
Thanks for the info - I thought they were at the wrong time.
Last year I did mulch with straw and muck last year - but as they were only first year plants and it was such a hard winter I think they struggled to get going again and took an age to make any kind of foliage so this is probably just their way of trying to flower.
I didn't realise about cutting them down - I will do that soon - once I've had a few more off them!
Cheers
Squeezy