Does anyone have an idea if artichokes will grow in the south(atlanta). I have seen them from pennsylvania and california but no where else. Any thoughts would be appreciated as I have grown quite fond of this thistle.
They should grow in the south. They're perennials in Zone 7 and warmer.
You probably haven't seen them in many places because people don't know what they are. (Do they? I grew up near Half Moon Bay, CA, the artichoke capital of the world. *yum!* and near Gilroy, CA, the garlic capital of the world. *double yum!*) I think a lot of folks buy them as pickled artichoke hearts and have no idea how easy it is to grow the plants.
Artichokes are *really* easy to grow. You can buy seed or starts and put them in a spot with full sun and good soil. They'll just thrive. If you let a 'choke bloom out, whack it off, or it'll slow down production. We had
6 plants in my backyard, when I was a kid in the Bay Area. We had 'chokes most of the year. Which is why I almost have a stroke when I see them for sale in Alaskan grocery stores for $4 each "in season" now.Next year, I'm going to start some artichoke seeds in January and grow them up here in Alaska as annuals. Some adventurous gardeners in my area figured out that we can grow them as annuals up here. *grin*
Jan Zone 3
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