Grow Artichokes Without Aphids - Start to Finish 

Thanks, Max. Glad you find these video helpful!

Yes! Thanks for sharing that tip. We learned to use a fork to dig out the seeds from dried artichokes. It appears to be the best tool for digging out the seeds once the seed head is dry.

Great! Post your results when you have them - either good or bad.

Glad you found it helpful. Keep us posted on how it goes.

It's true. Like many veggies and fruits, they have their window for harvesting. I usually squeeze the artichoke to see if it gives just a little. That's when it's ready to pick. Once the "petals" start to fan out, it may be too late. But those flowers are worth keeping if you do miss the window.

And how well did that work…?

haha has it taken over yet? lemon balm is like mint 💀

Glad you found it helpful. Keep us posted how it goes.

@@Gardenerd OK... DAY 1: out in the garden all day. I'm hell-bent on irradicating this problem. I mixed-up a batch of worm castings and water - fed the artichoke - hosed off the aphids. They came off easily. An hour later, the light comes on. I can actually see ants carrying aphids. I'm like, oh no you don't! I mixed a slurry of: 1 cup of powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon Borax (a little goes a long way. You don't need much - just 1%. You'll find that its enough to break the surface tension, and it makes the slurry feel slippery). Add Enough water to make a runny syrup. I put it too much water and had to add more sugar. NOTE: Borax doesn't seem to fully dissolve; so, if you have extra saved in a jar, you may have to shake the contents before use...or...it could be crashing out of solution? the white powder present could indicate too much sugar : water ratio? In the path of the ants near the plant, I placed a small terracotta tray filled with the sugar/Borax slurry. At the base of the bed, closer to the ant's home, I smeared a dab or two on the side of the bed and poured some at the base. A massive number of ants hit it. The key is to find the hill. Attack them at the source. In my case, I have a Birdies raised bed, which is one meter high; so, the colony is inside. Since I was "harvesting" weeds that day, I revisited my transplanted artichoke, four times; inspected it for aphids; hosed off what reappeared. DAY 2: very few aphids. Hosed them off. Very few ants. Day 3: very few aphids. Hosed them off. No ants. I was pleased to discover how easily aphids could be hosed off, easier than trying to rub them off with you fingers. I am wondering how long it will take for the worm castings to inoculate the plant, such that I won't have to spray anymore.

@@Search4TruthReality Thanks for the update. Give it at least a week before they might give up and move on to something else. Your ant bait trick I'm sure helped a lot too. Good luck!

@@Gardenerd I was harvesting more weeds, this afternoon...prepping a new bed. A few ants were at the bait, but not on the artichoke plant, as I had seen them on day one. As for aphids...there were just a few. Thank you for the tips!

Glad it worked out. I love it when plants prove us wrong.

Thanks for sharing this tip. Keep us posted on whether it rings true for your own growth from seed.

That's great! They generally don't produce in the first year, but yay!

@@Gardenerd Yeah it's wild. I planted them late August 2021. Hopefully next year's harvest will be even larger

Great idea!

What kind of drill bit works good on ceramic pots?

@@richardmang2558 A masonry drill bit is best. Be sure to make a square with tape around the area you plan to drill to help prevent cracking and flying shards.

We generally don't treat milkweed. The Monarchs usually eat down the plant so aphids don't have much to eat for long.

The "petals" will start to open slightly, and the whole artichoke will give slightly when you squeeze it. That's a good time to pick it.

@@Gardenerd Thank you :)

You can do that. But soapy water doesn't discriminate between good and bad bugs, so I often don't mention it.

Fantastic! Your soil must be nutrient dense.

@@Gardenerd ❤️ actually it was a sand pit a hardened sand pit when I moved here at the end of 2017. And in 2020 I started gardening and you would not believe how much soil I bought along the way and how much amendment stuff I bought along the way and how many gardening videos like yours that I watched along the way and I'm still watching. It's been a wonderful journey

@@intuitiveginaWe've got really sandy soil here too. It's got one thing going for it - great drainage! LOL.

Me too. Artichokes on all five plants.

Good question. I know that some types of insect frass have chitin that is plant-digestible, so the plant will produce its own chitinase when you use insect frass. You can add insect frass to soil or use it in brewing aerated compost tea.

Not yet, but great idea. I'll put it on the list.

@@Gardenerd 😁

How to Cook Artichokes. Get a Very Large Pan. As ideally you want x1 Bud per Person. Add enough Water to be enough to not Boil Dry. These Artichokes can take about x40 Minutes to Simmer on the Stove ! Add a good pinch of Salt to your Water. Some also add a splash of Lemon Juice to prevent the Bud going a bit off green in the cooking process. Bring Pan to a Rolling Boil, add a Lid and keep closed, and Simmer for between x30 to x40 Minutes (depending on their size.) To check for tenderness, get a pointy Knife and poke the Bud right at its thickest part. You want that knife to slide in and out easily (like checking a cake to see if it's done.) Once it's cooked either eat Hot or Cold. Best served with Melted Butter with added Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper. How to Eat an Artichoke. Peel off each Petal, and yes, Scrape that Flesh off with your lower Fronth Teeth. Do so by Dipping in Butter, then eat each Heel (Flesh) with your teeth. Keep doing so, until the Petals are to Thin or Numerous. At this stage get a Sharp or Serrated Knife and Cut at right angles all those Petals off * Cut below the Petals themselves, so you have a Big Green Fleshy "Cup with a Stem.' Almost looking like a Tree Acorn Cup without its Nut in it. After cutting you should have a Round Flat Disc with a Stalk on its back. Place this Flesh right into your Butter face down, Swirl to get a good coverage, lift and Eat. By nibbling away until all that Fleshy Greenery is eaten. Some even eat that Stalk Stump. Others find it to Steingy. This part is usually tough, if you didn't cook the Bud right through. Big Buds will take much longer to cook than smaller ones. I think the super Large Artichokes have the best taste. Yet x2 can fill a very large pot (!) Easier to cook for two rather than a Dinner Party's worth. Hope this helps. 😎 Happy Growing and Cooking. * The Petals themselves (other than that of the Heel) or all that inner Fluff of the Pending Thistle Flower or "Choke" is not eaten ! As she stated. . . Keep a bit of Stalk on that Bud as when it's Cooked (to hot to hold) you want to turn it around on your Plate with that Stalk, as you Tear Petals of it ! Enjoy growing and eating them. 👍 I like to Grow them for their Harvest. Yet I let a few smaller Buds 'bolt' or Flower as my Bees love those Thistle Flowers. . . 🐝

@@ME_MeAndMyBees That was very well said, thank you for taking the time to explain...👏🙏

Good question. They should do well in those fabric pots (it will actually help them air prune their tap root, which is going to be great in the long run). As for dappled shade, I'll say this: anything that produces a fruit requires at least 6 hours of full sun. If the dappled area gets at least that, you'll be okay. But I've got a few artichokes in areas that get less sun and they are smaller and less vigorous than my full-sun chokes. Worth a try if they're in pots, you can always move them to a sunnier spot.

So true. Unless you have a greenhouse or protected, heated environment that mimics a Mediterranean climate, artichokes won't grow well. But you can grow pears and peonies. So I'm a little jealous.

@@Gardenerd artichokes do grow in zone 6 can't start 'em outside though. Gotta pile lots of straw on 'em in winter. Thing is, knowing the zone of any given you tube gardener informs the audience about the likely viability of the methods and advice translating well to their zone.

@@Raul28153 You're right. I try to mention where I am, but in future I'll do my best to use the hardiness zone.

From what I've heard the plants are too prickly for deer to find appealing. Give it a go and report back your findings.

Fantastic luck that that all your artichokes are blooming this year. That's great! I don't know that it's normal, but it seems to work where you live, so yay! Try some of the other tricks in this video for keeping ants away. I hope it helps.

The sources I checked seem to say that artichokes are unappealing to deer because of their spiky nature, and the plants tend to be dormant when deer are most voracious. It can take awhile to grow artichokes from seed, which is why most nurseries only carry seedlings rather than seeds. But most online sources and seed catalogs offer several varieties of artichokes to grow from seed. Check out Territorial Seed Company, Baker Creek, Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply online.

@@Gardenerd A deer ate one of my largest stalks! It was 2 inches in diameter I estimate, and the deer bit it off and all the leaves with it. So, I have a net fence (1 inch thick squares, not the killer small kind of netting.) This works pretty well, as the deer are not that determined. But I think it is safe to say that deer eat artichokes. They do grow back of course. I have grown the wonderful artichokes in steel stock tanks for years. Too many gophers. Always at war with the aphids so will try the worm castings.

@@espm116b9 Oh no! Sorry to hear that deer were interested in your artichokes. Stock tanks are a great idea to keep gophers away. We only use them in coastal climates because they bake the plant roots in really hot areas where we live.

@@espm116b9 Gophers are horrible creatures.

@@richardmang2558 they wreck a lot of beautiful plants for sure. Smart bastards though.

It can always help, plus you can foliar feed with it. Just make sure you're using biologically active worm tea and not old leachate from the worm bin (if it smells bad don't use it). Old leachate is full of anaerobic bacteria that can do more harm than good. Use it fresh, and you're all good.

Ummmm, worm castings? Where do I find those?

I would use a pot that is at least 15" in diameter and height. The bigger the better in the case of tap roots. The two I have in pots are 16" and 18" diameter. That's a good starting point.

She says clearly in the video. Where was your focus?

They vary, but where they are grown makes a difference too. We have several in a container and they never get as big as those planted in the ground.

@@Gardenerd thanks, makes sense. my pepper sizes seems determined by the pot size only

From Texas A&M: Moisture stress may result in black tip, which is only cosmetic damage because the edible portion of the bud is not affected. Black tip is most common when conditions are sunny, warm and windy.

@@Gardenerd Thank you.

I just recorded a new podcast all about managing gophers in the garden that will air on May 30th. In the meantime, gopher baskets are the best way to keep artichokes safe from gophers. Wait until they go dormant (after fruiting season) to dig them up and install gopher baskets, but if they haven't started growing yet for the year, you can move them now. Just don't expect production this year if you do move them.

Glad it was helpful!