I've had good luck vernalizing young Imperial Star artichoke plants in the refrigerator in past years. I think it's more reliable than leaving it up to Mother Nature, at least in Michigan's variable (wierd!) climate. I do it when they have about 6 leaves and are about 4 inches tall. If all went well, I got them sown on time (early March), germination was prompt, etc., it should now be early/mid May. I let them get a little on the dry side but not wilted, since moisture is the enemy in this operation. I like to dust the foliage of each plant with a little Gold Bond type medicated body powder -- the zinc oxide and plant essential oils are fungicidal -- be sure to get some down into the crown of the plant. Then, I wrap each transplant individually (note, no pot on these, I grow them in cell trays and just pull them from the cells) in a paper towel or napkin, and pack them into a big ziplock bag. Then, seal it up. This goes in the bottom of the fridge for 10-14 days. During this time, they will turn somewhat yellow, they will curve up in response to gravity, and when they come out, will look kind of sad. But, as long as they are kept reasonably dry, they won't rot and dry. It is a GOOD IDEA to pull them out every few days and inspect, so that you don't have a nasty surprise of rotten plants at the end of this process. If rot does start, pull off the damaged leaves, dust with more Gold Bond, and repack in fresh, dry paper towels. You could probably save some of the little packs of silica gel from clothing, shoes, electronics to throw into the ziplock to help control the moisture during this vernalization. After the 10 days minimum, pull them out, repot them into about 4 inch pots, water them well, and stick them in the shade for 24 hours to recover. Then, I put them in the greenhouse and really baby them for a few weeks. At this point, it's probably mid June, about Flag Day, and they need to go into really rich, well-drained, well prepared ground or very large containers (the rope-handled utility tubs are a great size and are relatively cheap and durable as planters). They like a lot of fertilizer and water (but not soggy soil, or they'll rot). You should start seeing blossom initiation in mid/late July or early August, and will get artichokes into October. This has worked for me in the past. Hope this helps.

I love artichokes: Place them in any steaming apparatus or a pot with water and boil/steam for about an hour or until the leaves pull off easily and the flesh tastes tender. Then dip the leaves in butter and enjoy. Stuffed artichokes. For a few artichokes, chop the stem off so the base is flat, peal the stem like you would peal broccoli stems to get the stringy tough stuff off. Toss the stems in a food processor with a couple cloves of garlic, and a good handful of parsley (you can add more or less parsley to stretch the stuffing), salt and pepper and mince everything up, add some olive oil to make everything come together..kinda like making pesto. Then hold the base of the artichoke and bang the top against the countertop. Hit is good and hard a couple times, and the flower will open up some. Then stuff the stuffing inside the flower (usually a couple tablespoons or so per artichoke) Place the artichokes in a steamer/pan to boil/steam. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and boil/steam. These you can eat plain or with melted butter as above. Happy eating, Kristi

Artichoke Raviolis Use round or square gyoza or shu mai wrappers (or wonton) Use corn starch mixed with water to make the 'glue' to seal them Use two wrappers per ravioli unless you want to fold them into triangles or half moons to make them small. Artichoke filling 1 1/2 cups mashed artichoke pulp (steam 5-6 medium artichokes) 1 cup ricotta cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 raw garlic clove and 1/2 cup flat parley leaves, finely chopped salt to taste black pepper to taste Mix everything up really well. It helps to cook the artichokes very well so the pulp is very soft and easy to take out and mash. Sauce: olive oil Salt and black freshly ground pepper Garlic (3-4 cloves) Fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (to make ~2 cups) Vegetable broth (1-2 cups) Dried marjoram to taste Good Parmesan grated for top Sautee garlic in olive oil making sure you do not burn it and right away add chopped tomatoes, salt, marjoram and allow it to cook to become a fresh looking tomato sauce. Use the broth to thin it to the desired consistency. The sauce will thicken when baking so start with a little thinner than desired sauce. Make sauce for chosen raviolis, use a flat not too deep pan (you will be placing one ravioli deep, so it will be shallow). Put enough sauce on pan and place assembled raviolis on it. To assemble put about 1 tbs of filling on a square, moisten both surfaces that will seal, shape filling into a square and place top wanton wrapper on top, sealing it into a pouch. I use a fork and seal them this way. Practice with a couple and the third one should come out right! Place the assembled raviolis on the sauces (already on the flat pan) and when they are all assembled pour the rest of the sauce on top and the grated Parmesan on top. Bake at 375 for only 15-25 minutes (look at it after 15 minutes and decide if done, or it need 5 or 10 more minutes). Should be golden but of course not burnt. Yes, the wanton wrappers (ravioli paste shells) will cook in the sauce, no problem.

Scott, I've had some die off and also some pull through and grow into the next year, but this year seems the exception due to the oppressive heat we've been having. They all became bedraggled and gave up the ghost this year. My plants have at times made side shoots (pups) and I have successfully removed and planted those in times past. I suggest you try to find the coolest part of your garden to grow them--- I grow them on the north side of mine. My earthbox planters have wheels so I can move things around in my garden. My garden area is a cement floor screened-greenhouse with pots and grow boxes everywhere. I also have a heated greenhouse for wintertime growing and stuff gets seasonally shuffled around from here and there. If this dang heat keeps up year after year I will put up more solar panels and install A/C in the greenhouse. I still have two brand new 4 ton A/C units still in crates in my barn that I bought at a 'going out of business' sale. I'll do whatever I have to do to grow my veggies & fruits... that crap they sell in supermarkets as veggies will kill you in the long run. Lou