Cynara scolymus Cultivated artichoke varieties Emerald is a relatively new artichoke. It has shown very good frost tolerance and is thornless. Imperial Star is a thornless artichoke that has gained a wide acceptance in the commercial artichoke producing regions of southern California and with home gardeners. This variety is the one to grow from seed. It has shown a great deal of uniformity and reports indicate that it does not need as much vernalization as Green Globe. Purple Romagna This globe artichoke has a fairly tall plant (up to six feet) with artichokes that vary in color from green with purple hazing to mostly all purple. Globe Artichoke Cultural Information Start seed indoors during February to early March. Use cell trays to sprout the seed in, transplanting to 4" pots soon after emergence. Keep the plants well fertilized and the soil moist to encourage the rapid growth that is necessary if you are to mature a crop in the north. Growing requirements Artichokes perform best under cool frost-free conditions. They do best in fertile well-drained soils. A hot or dry climate will negatively affect the eating quality of artichokes. Under such conditions it is best to keep them well watered to prevent the buds from maturing too rapidly. When this happens the buds will flower and be tough and unmarketable. Keeping them uniformly moist will prolong the harvest season and ensure that the artichokes remain tender. Winter Survival As mentioned above globe artichokes are not frost hardy and should be protected if the winter temperatures will go below 25 F. Mulch with clean straw if such conditions occur in your growing area. Harvesting Globe Artichokes Pick artichokes while still tender - before the buds have started to open up and flower. Sizes seen at the supermarkets are the biggest you should let the heads get. Store harvested artichokes in a cool moist environment of 32 to 33 F with at least 95% relative humidity. |
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