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A fellow allotmenteer on our site planted some globe artichoke suckers early this year .
they were planted in raised beds filled with a mixture of coconut husk and other growing mediums previously used by his friend  for "ahem" hydroponic growing.
His artichokes have massive flowers on,some of the best I have ever seen.
He is just chopping them off and chucking them as he was told that in the first year they weaken the plant.
I see no sense in this as these plants are in prime condition.
Is there a reason behind it?

Quote from: pookienoodle on August 11, 2010, 19:46:43
A fellow allotmenteer on our site planted some globe artichoke suckers early this year .
they were planted in raised beds filled with a mixture of coconut husk and other growing mediums previously used by his friend  for "ahem" hydroponic growing.
His artichokes have massive flowers on,some of the best I have ever seen.
He is just chopping them off and chucking them as he was told that in the first year they weaken the plant.
I see no sense in this as these plants are in prime condition.
Is there a reason behind it?

Wasting massive flowers?  Why?

There is a seed catalogue, Dobies?  can't remember, except that they pride themselves on selling artichoke seed which will produce in the first year.  That would seem to contradict cutting flowers off entirely.

Quote from: galina on August 11, 2010, 22:33:12

Wasting massive flowers?  Why?

There is a seed catalogue, Dobies?  can't remember, except that they pride themselves on selling artichoke seed which will produce in the first year.  That would seem to contradict cutting flowers off entirely.
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Its is purely because someone told him this is what you do,I have seen globe a's with very small flower buds on in thier first year(more like thistles) but these look superb.
I rescued a couple he had discarded so I will be having those tonight.

It's just thick - once he has cut them off, how can not eating them strengthen the plant??? He obviously has not thought it through.
Artichokes can be harvested the first year, what weakens the plant is to let the flowers go to bloom and to seed. They only last about 3 or 4 seasons then you have to replace them anyway as they start to get a bit old and fragile.
I live in the artichoke capital of France and I think anyone throwing away a beautiful globe artichoke would get a baguette up the bum!!!  ;)

I can't see a reason for doing this.  Maybe artichokes are seen as being 'exotic' and needing some sort of special care but I don't find this to be the case at all.  Mine are planted as a border down the side of a path, in ordinary soil.  I mulch them with whatever I have ready in the autumn and then just leave them to get on with it.

 I have grown the Dobies one that Galina mentions, I think it is called 'Emerald' and it did produce artichokes in its first year.  We used them and it didn't harm the plants.

Quote from: pookienoodle on August 12, 2010, 08:38:02

I rescued a couple he had discarded so I will be having those tonight.

Enjoy!

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing?

Stopping young plants before they flower makes sense as it allows them to become established but to cut the heads off once they have flowered shows a lack of understanding