I only tried growing artichokes one time, years ago, and they never made so much as one bud; but this thread is making me feel that I should give it another go; might try them in large pots and move them into the garage or workshop for the winter. It's more about the challenge than the actual artichokes for me!

I'm wondering if the steadiness of low temperatures helps; I know I have some marginally hardy stuff to my area that survives counter-intuitively in the lowest part of my yard -- the coldest part. And I wonder if something about that helps in a way, even though it's colder, it's cold and steady, compared to other parts of the yard that warm up and freeze periodically through the winter - so no freeze/thaw. I wonder if the artichokes would be better off with a steady freeze.

I've never tried bananas here, but I have overwintered them indoors. Theoretically, it can be done.

I've never managed rosemary outdoors and feel like it's analogous -- trying rosemary outdoors under an overturned pyrex bowl from Goodwill this year. As far as I can tell, nobody in zone 5 manages rosemary consistently, especially now when we don't have reliable snow cover in New England.

We don't know until we try, I guess.

I read through the thread and hear the issues with mice/voles. I have those as an ongoing thing but have managed around it by planting daffodils around the vulnerable...I move daffs in the green, in the spring, so conceivably -- I could surround the newly planted artichokes with daffodils, to protect them from critters.

Also starting cardoons. Assuming it's a similar deal. Although I know what to do what to do with an artichoke if I ever harvest one. Cardoons are purely theoretical but have you seen these things? They're gorgeous.

Anyway: would love to hear any successes and failures.

Hey, those who have said you've mulched them -- what mulch, when, and how many inches?

I've read not to mulch before the ground freezes, because it provides a habitat for voles, but on the other hand, they're not necessarily frost hardy but I also haven't seen documentation that differentiates between frost hardy as in 'they die above the ground' versus frost hardy 'they die when the soil temp reaches X'.

I'm here for the same reasons everyone else is: oh my god the butter delivery mechanism.

Pretty flowers.

But mainly: butter.

I'm sure preventing the freeze/thaw is important for the artichokes; we generally have plenty of snow cover here, which should help in that respect. There are a couple of spots next to the foundation of our house where I think I could get rosemary to overwinter, although I've never tried it, I always grow it in planters; maybe I'll stick a few of the (rosemary) plants in the ground there and see how they do - if that works, the artichokes might make a nice "foundation planting," they're certainly large enough!

"mainly butter" - now I'm thinking a dinner of lobster and artichokes sounds really good

Tom, you should grow them again. You're the artichoke thread hero.

Weedwhacker said: "mainly butter" - now I'm thinking a dinner of lobster and artichokes sounds really good

*swoon*

Artichokes are a biannual plant that needs to go through a chill period before they will bloom. That's why the vernalization process is necessary to trick them into thinking that they have gone through a winter. When I tried to mulch them for winter, I covered the ground around the plants with a thick layer of mulch, and then added a top layer of straw over all of it. Of course, like I mentioned, it got extremely cold that winter and none of them made it. I have had winters here lately that even basil made it through the winter, but that was a rare occasion.

If you read the whole thread, you'll find that the first year was only a minimal success. I started them too late, but the next year I had way more than I could use. I tried to get them to bloom so that I'd have some seeds, but the seeds they produced didn't grow.

I did it mostly as a challenge to see if I could get it done. I steam them and dip the leaves in butter, I put a few whole cloves in the water and some chunks of lemon when I steam them. They are good with almost any meal, but lobster would be great.

@Weedwhacker it was all the challenge for me. I took a ton of photos, shared my success, wrote my article, took my video, took more photos and the only artichoke I ate went on a pizza. The other artichokes were given away.

I am determined though to use my artichokes for my own cooking this year. I planted the seeds today.

I hope you do try!

I did Imperial last year, this year I planted Green Globe.

I had my best luck when I planted the seeds in early February. I always though I should have potted one up and kept it inside over winter, but I never did that.

tveguy3 said: If you read the whole thread,

Lol - I think I did! It's how I knew I'd found the right crowd!

Something of an aside, it's hard because winter is so weird now, but I've kept parsley and mint growing in Western MA all winter by covering them with Pyrex bowls from Goodwill. Belatedly, I thought to try this with with rosemary, and the rosemary was dead above ground by then (late December) but might still have life in it. In any case, that's absolutely something I'll keep trying at. Lavender I cover with dismembered Christmas tree parts. In any case if I actually get the artichokes out there and producing, I'm definitely going to try overwintering. If all seven plants make it to October, I can try seven different methods. Planning to start vernalization in a week or so and then get out in individual cold frames, or, likely, under Pyrex bowls, in April. I like those because they're easily deployed and then set aside on the weird warm days we have now. We had a fifty degree day last week.

tveguy3 said: I had my best luck when I planted the seeds in early February. I always though I should have potted one up and kept it inside over winter, but I never did that.

Tom ~ I came across this thread...maybe because someone updated it. That sounds like a project for next year. Are you interested in growing them next year? Then we can start early. For this year's early experiment, I have delphiniums. Just a few. (But I can't eat them.)

I have cut back on my veggie garden a lot, due to the take over by the seedling beds for the irises. I only plant tomatoes, peppers and squash, both summer and winter. A few beans, spinach, and beets as well.

Have any of your seedlings bloomed yet? Mine seem to take a long time.

Yes, I've posted most of them on the iris forum over the years.

Oh, I thought you had some new ones.

Hey, just to add to the exploration of artichokes outside of their zone - mine are all still alive and I've started the vernalization process using the refrigerator method as well as a little outdoor time when it's 40+ (just started yesterday with an hour of them outside in the sun). I think I've done about 50 hours of cold treatment so far but wanted to note that mine have struggled with a fungus I just diagnosed yesterday -- it is ramularia and manifests as small patches on the leaves, which ultimately whither and die. I started spraying with milk/water mixture and they are much happier. But I did have a hard time figuring out what it was so if anyone comes across it -- well, it's a fungus called ramularia.

EmpressOfIndia said: Hey, just to add to the exploration of artichokes outside of their zone - mine are all still alive and I've started the vernalization process using the refrigerator method as well as a little outdoor time when it's 40+ (just started yesterday with an hour of them outside in the sun). I think I've done about 50 hours of cold treatment so far but wanted to note that mine have struggled with a fungus I just diagnosed yesterday -- it is ramularia and manifests as small patches on the leaves, which ultimately whither and die. I started spraying with milk/water mixture and they are much happier. But I did have a hard time figuring out what it was so if anyone comes across it -- well, it's a fungus called ramularia.

Valuable info! I hope I don't come across it, but if I do, your info is very helpful. Thanks so much.

I started the cold exposure process on Thursday. Outside for an hour, it was maybe 34 degrees. Yesterday they were outside for a bit more than an hour, around 39 degrees. Today we are going to go for 2 hours and see what happens. Temps should be around 40.

The plants are about 2 weeks old (from germination), and an inch or two high. They look happier after being in the chilly sun, so I'll keep on keepin on unless or until the plants tell me to quit it.

My hope is to do what I did last year, but a bit earlier this time. Basically harden them off early, and leave them outside until planting unless the temp drops below 30 degrees, or is exceptionally windy. The prairie is already plenty windy, but should it get ridiculous, in they'll go.

Our average (70%) last frost date is May 2nd, but most year we don't plant until after the Three Chilly Saints of May. So May 14th.