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Do artichokes need it to be frost free before putting them outside? or are they okay  to be planted out sooner (if hardened off first)?

Plants that are grown from seed this year are more tender for the frost in their first year so you could plant them out 'sooner' but with some protection. If put some garden fleece over for few weeks, that should be enough for this time of the year.

Thanks, I've only got 4 of them and I do have some fleece. I'm just running out of space inside very quickly now.

This is an odd way of doing it - here they are sown late spring and planted out in summer for the next year  ???
You will find artichokes the most frost hardy of all your plants. Mine this year were accidentally buried in a ton of manure (and I really mean, 1 tonne), then uncovered after a few days, then frozen solid in february... and they are back again with new spring growth...
After the third year, start to chop sections off the mother plant - you can divide them almost indefinitely as time goes on!

Perhaps I have been mollycoddling the seeds I have been trying to grow then.....two different kinds and they have taken ages to germinate in my heated propagator, I should have just bunged them outside all winter and let them get on with it! ;D

You can sow them outside in April, May, fleece if it's a little cold but they are in no way exotic! They grow here in Britanny where it never gets that warm. Think I transplanted mine into open ground in late August and they did well. manure them in winter, add a bit of straw if it gets really frozen, treat them like rhubarb actually.  You generally get artichokes about the same time as peas.

Glad to know they won't be taking up room in the warm bed soon.....

OOh, i never imagined that you could grow them from seed. Must have a rummage at wilkinsons next time i'm in.
sunloving 

My seeds were from Franchi in the Wyvales sale last summer, they are the purple type so my plan was to give them a permanent area to themselves as they will hopefully be attractive as well.

DT Browns sell the Green Globe type.

thanks to Anemone ;D ;D, i got Violet de Procece (Mar sown) and my own Gros Vert de Laon (Feb sown)  in atm, but they're still quite small. they're not the best looking seedlings, tbh. I think the g/h is a bit too warm or something that's not right for them. they were propagator sown and then transferred to the unheated g/h. last yr, when i did the same method with the other varieties, they were much healthier and bigger before i transplanted them around May time. only 2 of my plants survived the winter altho' half of them weren't protected that well. so this autumn, they will be protected more carefully!

Quote from: sunloving on April 12, 2012, 09:27:30
OOh, i never imagined that you could grow them from seed. Must have a rummage at wilkinsons next time i'm in.
sunloving 

PM me your address, pretty certain I've got loads of spares....

I'm surprised these are described as frost hardy - I have planted from seeds, and brought plants and each year they die over winter!! What might I be doing wrong?

Too wet where they are planted? I expect they do cold OK but not in a damp spot....

Yes that might be it I guess. Time for a think about the best spot now

Quote from: Deb P on April 12, 2012, 09:49:58
My seeds were from Franchi in the Wyvales sale last summer, they are the purple type so my plan was to give them a permanent area to themselves as they will hopefully be attractive as well.

These are the exact ones I've got ! I love the wyvale seed sale :)

Mine are settled into the propagator thankyou very much Chriscross 1966.
fingers crossed
x sunloving

My artichoke plants from seeds are now big enough to go out and I'm about get them planted this weekend...and some plants from divided stock too... ;D
I've got goodsize raised bed, raised by 4" which should be enough to keep worst of the winter wetness away. I made the soil in the bed quite open too by using all manner of stuff with he soil...composted woodchip, old gritty compost, spent shredded straw etc. and added good amount of chicken pellets and BFB. Now it all has settled down and its ready for the plants. Once planted, they get mulch of straw as well, just to give that bit of protection against late frosts and keep moisture down.
I just cannot provide anything more for them so I do hope they will 'pay' back with plentiful crops of HUGE buds in future..this year I'm just going to watch them to grow... ;)

I have grown artichokes for years and years, from offshoots of bigger plants and from seed, but I have never achieved those gigantic heads we can buy, grown in Brittany.

Does anyone know the variety? And where I could get the seeds? I love the tender little buds but also hanker after the giants.

Quote from: anemone on April 20, 2012, 19:54:27

Quote from: Deb P on April 12, 2012, 09:49:58
My seeds were from Franchi in the Wyvales sale last summer, they are the purple type so my plan was to give them a permanent area to themselves as they will hopefully be attractive as well.

These are the exact ones I've got ! I love the wyvale seed sale :)

Same here adn they were the ones I sent out to Sunloving :D