A question came in this week:
“I have some lovely modest artichokes on one plant that I planted this
spring. I can’t decide if I should cut ’em and eat ’em, or let them go
to flower! I’m not sure what would be best for the future life of the
plant… and what is the life cycle of the artichoke, anyway? What do I
need to do to keep it healthy and happy in my garden, year after year?
Thanks. I love the being a gardenerd!! Liza”
Well, those are all good questions, Liza. Artichokes can be intimidating, I think, because they look like the come from the Jurassic era. Here are a few things to remember about artichokes:
Artichokes will live for years, so you can either eat them or let them flower. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. Just make sure you cut back the foliage once it turns yellow. New shoots will emerge from the base of the plant and will attempt to flower/fruit again. The Planet Natural website suggested that you can cut down the shoots to about 2 inches above soil level and prolong your season, encouraging more blooms.
Artichokes are heavy feeders, so you should feed them once a month with an organic vegetable fertilizer.
Never let the plant dry out completely, although if you just want the foliage around (and don’t care much for the choke) you can cut back on watering a bit.
At the end of the season, remove all dead foliage and put a layer of compost down around the plant for next year’s growth.
I hope this helps. Thanks for writing in!
