Yes, I have grown one. This year will be the first year that I get a harvest from it. There was another person that posted in the Texas gardening forum a while back about growing artichokes in Dallas which might be helpful. I planted a green globe artichoke from a purchased seedling last year. In the middle of summer it did have a hard time with the heat, but recovered each evening. I have had some aphid problems and caterpillars, which I sprayed with a bit of neem or manually evicted. It's been a trooper, my son pulled the whole plant up about one month after I planted it. Eventually it bounced back from the dead and grew about 4' diameter of foliage before dying back from winter frosts. I don't give it any special treatment really. It is well mulched (3-4") like everything in my garden. I amended the soil with compost (3") beneath the mulch that I turned into the soil a little with a garden claw. Then put a little bit of soybean meal on top for fertilizer. I am anxious about what I will see this year from it. Should be a beautiful (and delicious) plant. Hope this helps.

Violet, I don't think I really answered your original question. Here is what does really well without a lot of work for me: Illini blackberries (Miller Nurseries, NY) Supermale Asparagus (Miller Nurseries, NY) Sour Cherry tree (Miller, either a Meteor or a North Star, redskin, yellow flesh). No spraying whatsoever. Various strawberries from various sources. Kwintus Pole Beans (Park Seed Co., grown on cattle panel hoop frame) Cimarron lettuce, romaine type from Jung and Pinetree Various potatoes, Yukon Gold is the favorite (from various sources including small potatoes I save and sprouted ones from the pantry) Beauregard sweet potato (usually from Dorothy's Digs, local greenhouse close by) Bodacious Sweet Corn (Hummerts in Springfield) also Peaches and Cream and Candy Corn....Bodacious is the favorite) Various tomatoes, mostly heirloom varieties from various online sources....favorite last year was Granny Cantrell (sorry ceresone, Anias Noir got more disease for me) All peppers do well: Parks Thickset, Cal. Wonder, Sweet and Hot banana, cayenne, Anaheim and Ancho, Valencia Bloomsdale Long-Standing spinach Onions: Only Candy and Super Star (from seed, Harris Seed Co. NY) am trying a sample of plants to see how they compare to seed started. They are the only onions that have ever made any size for me...day neutral type. Hope this helps...as you will see, I don't grow exotics...or haven't before.

If you can resist harvesting globes in the first year the stems are best removed to divert energies into the stock for next year. Keep your bed well mulched with organic matter, protect from severe frosts if likely to occur, and next spring start to give a fortnightly application of a high potash liquid feed. My Website

Jasdip, I'm excited, I planted 100 crowns a couple of weeks ago, and about half are poking through, if we don't get rain soon, I'll water and then more will "pop". The asparagus crop here isn't ready yet, and I checked my old/established and very small bed, but no sign of asparagus yet. The rhubarb is nearly ready to pull, probably another week, so we are behind this year. It started so mild and now has just been cold and dry for several weeks. Nancy is right, if something is labelled organic and isn't, there can be a big federal fine. I also smile when I see "vegetarian fed" yet "free range" eggs. You can guarantee that chicken didn't eat any worms or grasshoppers? That is NOT vegetarian, LOL. Many vendors here will state that their product is grown in "an organic manner", because they don't have certification. However, many times their items are more organic than the certified stuff, because so many sprays are allowed under the federal classification for organic produce. Cindy, I sure hope your guy does a booming business! Dcarch, the big boys are far more likely to spray with a ton of chemicals, though, because they have their government pesticide certification (which is necessary to buy certain chemicals or large amounts of certain chemicals). It's more cost effective for them because they can afford the big equipment necessary to spray on a large and regular basis. The little guy is limited as to what he can buy, unless he gets his pesticide certification. Even if he does, he has to buy the equipment unless he wants to spray everything with a handheld or backpack sprayer. I did part of a 15 acre hayfield last year that way, and it took weeks. Now I can't cut hay there for a couple of years, so it won't be in my beef, although if I have to buy some to make up the shortfall I'll have to pay dearly for the premium chemical free stuff. Ah well, this little girl is worth it. Born on May 5, meet "Cinco De Mayo", approximately 15 minutes old in this photo. Annie