Anyone have any experience of growing globe artichokes in a pot? Can it work? How big would a pot need to be for one plant to be happy?
It can be done but my experience with them in nurseries is that you can only really keep them fit for about two years. As to the pot give them plenty of room and depth. Nothing less than a 3 gallon pot. And plan on moving it up to a five at the end of the year when it goes semi dormant.
Hmm...oh poo it's just not gonna work terribly well is it? I really want artichokes, but I have Norwegian winters.... How much insulation would it take to protect the crown enough? Electric blanket? haha
I recently read about someone growing artichokes in a row of 5-gallon pots placed in a sunny window. They put carrots around the perimeter of the pots, and they looked very pretty! Don't know if you have enough indoor room to do this, but perhaps it's an idea? love, mom
We don't really worry about frost with them here, but then our lows are only in the 20 degree f range and not long term. I would think you could mulch them heavily in the fall and leave them in place outside and see how they do. Maybe trim them up put an inverted pot over the crown and mulch pot and all for the winter. That way the crown has a little air space around it.
Is it just at the growing crown of the plant that frost damage can be most devastating then? For example, can the roots spend months in solid frozen ground, several degrees below zero?
No the roots can be damaged as well. Why not try digging them up every winter and overwintering the crown and roots in damp not wet spaghnam moss. Afterall they are sold bareroot around here in January and February. Dig them after your first frost and store them in a dark cool place for the winter.
Oh ok...that thought had vaguely crossed my mind, but I assumed they'd have insanely long roots... then again a bit of root chopping isn't the end of the world. Would I need to keep them damp throughout that storage period? I've not yet had experience of storing uprooted things...
I don't think that's going to be a big problem. It doesn't take a lot of moisture to keep the roots viable. I doubt there will be much evaporation if kept in dark place about 40 to 50 degrees f, As to the amount of root I'd trim them back to a length of about 8 to 10 inches. Wrap them in damp moss then roll them in newsprint, and on the outside you could put a plastic bag with holes punched in it. You don't want to cut off all the air. Or stand them in a plastic bucket. Then if you have to you can mist them with a spray once a month.
Well that's settled it! Thank-you for such helpful advice. And I guess the annual digging-up and growth-curbing would keep the plant(s) at a more realistic size for a small garden (I really don't have space for these things haha, but I shall find space, dammit!) yay
You must really enjoy your chokes. I didn't even learn how to eat one until I was twenty five. My family couldn't afford to buy them and as far as meal worthiness, guess my mom didn't think they were that filling so she didn't use her budget to buy them. After I was out on my own got introduced to them. Only eat them in season now and only the ones I grow. Always let a few blossom...got to love those giant thistle blossoms. Have fun.
