Any of you guys ever grow artichokes?

[T]

Your thoughts? I do love eating them.

[Gary Woods]

I tried some years ago; got a few small ones. Hardly worth the effort. Upstate NY in the hills west of Albany; 1400 feet up.

[T]

I had a feeling.

[Pavel314]

I sort of remembered that my wife planted some in our garden a few years ago. We're in Maryland, north of Baltimore and fairly close to the Chesapeake Bay. Here's her reply:

"Yes, I did, and we ate some of the artichokes: very small they were. Very prickly artichoke plants are. I think they prefer to grow as perennials in California. The seed packets of some varieties say they bear first year, and some years they do (I grew them at least twice and once they did not produce at all) but they are not enthusiastic in Maryland."

Paul

[songbird]

T wrote: ...

i've never tried growing them here.

i think it might be worth the effort if you enjoy eating them, but i don't think you have soil defined as "light, fertile, well drained", your pH is likely to be too high (they like more neutral soil and not heavily alkaline).

doesn't look like they do very well in hot weather. :(

songbird

[T]

Well that puts the nail in the coffin. I can't grow anything that aphids like. Then come the crazy aggressive ants, and then come the crazy aggressive wasps.