Desert dweller new to forum

[baymule]

I told y'all it was beach sand with out the ocean! LOL LOL The grand daughters love playing in it. BIG sand box!

All around us is red iron ore dirt/clay. We have 8 acres on a sand pocket of maybe a hundred acres or so. I am glad we didn't get the red iron ore dirt, we have a pure white horse and I wouldn't want him to be orange! Haha.

 

[Britesea]

You will have to work hard to keep them alive. One of the big artichoke growing areas is Castroville, California which enjoys what is called a "Mediterranean" climate. That should tell you a lot about what they prefer: a long growing season with warm days and cool nights.
I found this info on growing them in less than optimum climates:

As An Annual
To grow artichokes as annuals, start with a hardier variety, bred for a colder climate with a shorter growing season. Northern Star, Emerald and Imperial Star are three of the best choices for annual artichokes in the North. For annual production, start seeds indoors under grow lights, in late winter—about 10 to 12 weeks before your last expected frost date. Use grow lights to keep the plants stocky and deep green, and bottom heat to boost the soil temperature until germination. Move the seedlings into slightly larger containers as they grow.

Artichoke seedlings should be transplanted into the garden about three to four weeks before the last expected frost. Exposing them to temperatures between 35 and 50 degrees F for about 10 to 14 days when they are young induces flowering in first-year plants. If you wait until the weather warms to plant artichoke seedlings out into the garden, they will probably not produce chokes their first season.

Artichokes grown as annuals in the North produce flower stalks in the late summer or fall. Once the chokes have been harvested, plants can be pulled from the garden and composted. Or, growers can try to overwinter the plants.

As A Perennial
To grow artichokes as perennials, know that most varieties survive only down to about 20 degrees F, so if you want to grow them as a perennial, you’ll need to give them protection during the winter months.

Start by picking the hardiest varieties possible: Northern Star, Violetto and Grande Buerre are good choices. For perennial production, plants can be started from seeds or purchased as starter plants. You can also start them from divisions and root cuttings taken from other growers or purchased from a commercial source.

Allow the plants to grow all season long, though they likely won’t produce a flower stalk their first year. To overwinter the plants, cut the plants down to about 12 inches high after the first light frost strikes. Surround them with a wire cage about 3 to 4 feet tall. Fill the wire cage with a foot of compost, then add straw or fall leaves until the bin is full. Cover the entire bin with a tarp, pinning down the edges to keep it in place. When spring arrives, remove the mulch about three weeks before the last expected frost.

For artichokes grown as perennials in the North, flowering stalks will be produced in the early spring, beginning the second year. After harvesting this spring crop, cut the flowering stalks to the ground to stimulate a second harvest in the fall.

Another Overwintering Option
Another option for overwintering artichokes is to cut back the plants to ground level and dig them out of the garden upon autumn’s arrival. Gently shake the soil off their roots and store the bare-root plants in a box of peat moss in a cold, but not freezing, garage, basement or refrigerator. When spring arrives, plant the overwintered bare-root artichokes back out into the garden.

 

[Hinotori]

Welcome!

I'm over in western Washington so my current climate is about as far opposite as I can get from you.


Looks like you need lots of organic matter. It tends to be the universal fix for soil. We're on glacial till so our soil is half rock with enough clay to make it rock hard in summer.

 

[baymule]

Thanks @Britesea that is some good information. We generally have a few freezes in winter, but not too bad. But we had a week of below freezing and it got as low as 11 degrees. If I can get them to grow, I will definitely pack them well for the winter!