The Surprise Artichoke

Artichoke

Remember when I dug up my Super Dead Artichokes, and instead of being dead a few of them were still alive, growing back from the rootballs? So I moved them to another bed (one with some shade) and they completely came back to life.

The Bare Glimmerings of Life, in September

Flourishing in October

Well they have continued to be alive and continued to flourish, but ONE of them, just ONE, has been confused enough by the entire experience of being pried out of the ground and buried in the shade to MAKE ARTICHOKES! FOR ME TO EAT! IN NOVEMBER!

Here you see the rare, unseasonal artichoke in the garden

I had it for lunch.

The Surprise Artichoke

Certain Rain Actually Occurs

Behold the wheelbarrow full of rain water!

How about some nice RAIN PICTURES? Because it DID rain!

Remember how I said that I might awaken to the sound of rain and thunder? It actually happened just like that! It rained pretty near three inches before I even got up the next morning. Rain has actually CONTINUED, off and on, for two days now. It has been a light, gentle rain for the most part, so my seeds and soil have not washed away.

Watch the Broccoli plants double in size before your very eyes!

Very Happy Basil Plants

Remember those relocated Artichokes? hey lived and are now putting out teeny tiny leaves

We Demand MORE Weeding Photos! Sez Rabble of Excited Fans

Primary Colors in the Garden

First, enjoy this lovely photo of the primary colors of the Oxblood Rain Lilies, Bronze Chrysanthemums, and Plumbago.

Now, these next beds promised to be a breeze, because the weeds weren’t too thick….until I remembered that in order to dig out the Bermuda Grass Roots, I would have to scrape off and RESERVE all the MULCH. Oy. So it became a multi-step process: 1) pull up dead plants 2) scrape off mulch 3) dig up weeds 4) turn over soil 5) fertilize 6) screen compost 7) spread compost. Are you sweating yet?

The "Carrot" Bed (I am naming these beds after what I planted in them last year)

The Carrot Bed" AFTER!!!!

In this bed, the Artichoke Bed, as I proceeded to pull up the very dead artichokes, guess what? THEY WEREN’T ALL DEAD! So I relocated them to a more congenial spot (this is a VERY hot bed in the summer, with the sun reflecting off the asbestos tile)

The Artichoke Bed: BEFORE!

The Artichoke Bed: AFTER!!!

I ran out of fertilizer, so I had to stop and go to the Garden Store. I go to The Natural Gardener, which is about 20 fucking miles away, damn them, but they are the BEST! It is a HUGE TRIP though, and in order to Personally Save the Earth I go as seldom as I can.

tiny artichoke leaves protrude from UNDEAD ROOT BALL!!

More Evidence of Life!

Harvesting the Artichokes

Seven Artichokes Today

Unlike my other ongoing series “Things to do with Spinach” and “Things to do with Carrots”, there is no creativity involved with artichokes: you cook them, you eat them. (I suppose if you had unbelievable shitloads you could pick them small and pickle them, or throw most the it away and just use the hearts in various dishes; but I don’t think I could stand to be that wastefull!)

This one is Fixing to bloom

I am growing a LOT of artichokes this year (I have ten plants), but both of my neighbors adore them, so I am never going to be burdened with too many.  The major variety involved with artichokes, for me, is whether to eat them hot or cold. But in the weather we have been having (low 90′s and 2000% humidity) I have been favoring COLD.

Today’s Lunch: Artichoke

The Artichoke as it appeared in The Garden

For today’s lunch I cooked a garden artichoke, and served it to myself with mayonnaise, lemon, and home-made hummus on toast points. Artichokes are a variety of Thistle, and if you don’t pick them,

They flower a gorgeous, totally STAR TREK-looking light purple flower. I will look around for a photograph, I am pretty sure I have one from last year.

Artichoke flower, courtesy of Iris at Society Garlic

Depending on your soil, where you planted them, and whether it rained or not ALL YEAR, artichoke plants can and often do live through the summer and become perennials. I planted 7 artichokes last year, in a shadier and damper part of my yard, and I thought they all died over the summer in spite of the fact that I installed a drip watering system largely to sustain them (I L*O*V*E artichokes); to my delight two of them lived and have already begun pumping out the artichokes for my consumption.

Here you see St. Francis among the tiny artichokes

I also planted 8 more, in a very sunny part of the garden, and I fully expect them all to die once it gets super hot. But I didn’t know any had survived from last year. Usually artichoke root balls can be purchased from The Natural Gardener in the autumn, and planted at that time (they will grow leaves all winter, but must be covered in hard freezes. Ha! Like we will ever see a hard freeze again, what with The Global Warming and all!) But the Natural Gardener sells little artichoke plants in the fall as well, and I have had much bigger harvests from the wee plantios. If you call and ask them on the phone, they will DENY ever selling or stocking the wee artichoke plants, though. It is like they are secret.

THis is how big the wee plantios are now