About Us

Enjoying the modern conveniences of life in a sustainable manner through technology, resourcefulness, and Zone 8a (North Texas) Gardening.

Monday, April 29, 2013

483 Days till Harvest


You read that right! 483 days till harvest. I started the artichoke January 2012 and I harvested my first artichoke yesterday. I planted Imperial Star; which is supposedly an annual. I followed all the directions and exposed it to cold temps last February/March. But the Spring of 2012 was fairly warm and short-lived. In 2012, this was all I got.

April 2012 (shows only one of the three planted)
2012 05 04_6626

October 2012 (shows all  three)
2012 10 28_8102

Then, this winter, I figured I had lost them for good after a few freezes left them looking …. well, dead. Didn’t take a picture of them because I thought that was all she wrote; given this variety is to be grown as annuals.

Well, this spring, I noticed that they had perked back up and even started to grow. Good thing I didn’t pull them up. In March, they looked like this. You can tell that they are smaller than they were in October, but they are clearly alive and well.
2013 03 29_8721

Then just a month later, in April 2013:
2013 04 14_9221 2013 04 07_9092
2013 04 20_9507

And today, I pulled these two beauties that had started to open up (that is a quart sized jar to give you an idea of their size).
2013 04 28_9525

These are just the beginning. I hadn’t gotten a picture yet, but there are ….maybe….. five more coming into size. I just hope they beat the Texas heat. I believe that if I cut them back just as the eat sets in, I can get another harvest in fall…..we’ll see.
2013 04 14_9221

This week also brought some collards, turnips, and I am beginning to unpeel my luffa’s (grown last season).
 2013 04 28_9259

Check out more early season harvests (or late season harvest depending on which side of the equator you are on) over at Daphne’s Dandelions Harvest Monday.

2 comments:

  1. Well done! That certainly beats my lemon, which took 9 months to grow...

    ReplyDelete
  2. The other 'chokes will be smaller than the first one, so be sure to keep an eye on the opening bracts. Also, I think this cultivar COULD be grown as annuals, not MUST be. Artichokes are perennials and die down in the winter, even when there is no frost.

    ReplyDelete