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Will They Live?

November 28th, 2017

For the past few years I’ve been growing artichokes. Since we live in a cold climate, I grow the varieties that produce in one season. This means I only get one large choke per plants, sometimes the season is long enough for them to produce a few smaller chokes.

This year, I planted 6 plants. Two of them didn’t produce chokes this summer, but the plants are lush and look very healthy. I decided to try to overwinter them to see if they will produce next summer.

After much thought of how to do it, I decided a fiber cement pot turned upside would be the best option. I was going to buy straw to stuff them with, but realized I have a ready supply of oak leaves. I also used this method to protect my acanthus in hopes that it will bloom in a few years.

What frost/freeze protection methods do you utilize in your garden for tender plants?

2 Comments to “Will They Live?”
  1. Lindsey @ BigBearFarmstead on November 28, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    I have always used straw as mulch, but lately I’ve noticed a ridiculous amount of slugs and snails, so this last year I mulch very deeply with compost and woodchips and used planters like you have. Worked fine. But mostly I just shifted to not growing anything that needed too much protection. I’m a lazy gardener like that. The only bed I really coddle now is the asparagus bed. I’ll get spears out of that 20 foot bed if it’s the last thing I do!!

    Reply to Lindsey @ BigBearFarmstead's comment

  2. Jodiana on November 30, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    I planted 2 plants in the spring. Both grew very little but one did begin to produce. It was around 2 inches wide when the frost hit. I am going to try what you are doing in hopes that next year I can get a jump on the growing season!

    Reply to Jodiana's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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