Artichokes actually. But you just try saying archematoke and see how easily it rolls of the tongue. It's a fabulous word, and I for one, am sticking with it. But not for this post.
Because that would just be confusing.
So I have artichokes growing in my garden. Lots of them. Possibly because I planted a whole bunch of seeds, possibly not. But the lovely (not) lady at the nursery that I was telling about my archematokes (I called them artichokes in front of her), today informed me that my artichokes (she said it properly too I noticed) were doomed.
"TOO HOT FOR THEM HERE LUV" (she was very loud), "ANYTHING WITH A SILVER LEAF WILL JUST UP AND CARK IT IN THE SUBTROPICS COME SPRING."
Well thank you very much loud lady. I happened to be very proud of my artichokes and you just crushed my pride like it was a dirty little snail under your great big gardening boot.
So here is one of my artichokes.
18 comments:
'Cark'? Now thats an interesting new word!
A teacup of water a day will see your carketoches through.
Ah yes, you Scots are not the only ones with fabulous words. Although yours are possibly a tad more classy.
A teacup a day hey... I'm going to hold you to that Mal.
Its okay, I have a huge one, my first...so we can look at mine and wonder what will happen together!!!!! It is a mysterious plant...but getting huger every week, I fear that maybe it will take up the whole garden bed it is in soon...
Yes, they do seem to just keep on growing, don't they? I am glad we are in this archematoke adventure together!
Ha! My archematoke is huge, massive, but no signs of an archematoke! I'll share it with you if yours really really does cark it!
Good luck little archie, don't cark it too soon!
I think my poor little archematoke is going to have size issues after hearing how big he is supposed to be. Let's hope he doesn't cark it from shame!
Oooh go on prove her wrong. I do hope they live.
Yes, what a strange term "Cark it"... of course we would say "Popped its clogs", which is eminently more understandable. (Not)
Artichokes are such good lookers, but I don't really like the taste of them. And aren't they a fiddle to prepare?
I have 3 artichoke plants i gew them from seeds ..so last year the didn't get that big ,but i didn't get any artichokes so I looked up all the possible problems and found that the 1st year the don't give any but come late autum you are to cut them right back and cover with manure(as in cover the whole plant now this year little artichokes are appearing everywhere...even down here in the heat yesterday they wilted..so just keep going you might surprise everyone
Oh thank you JFH. I didn't know they grew for more than a year! Do you have any photos??
Oh I didnt either!!!! :( and here I am searching everyday amongst the giant foliage for some sign of flowers....derrrrrr...I will keep looking til next year then...boring.
I agree Suzanne - but think of how not boring it will be when we are enjoying our fabulous archematokes next year.
I does occur to me though that mine are in a very impractical place for plants that need at least a year to grow. Perhaps them up and carking it would not be such a bad thing.
Yeah they should be OK because of their fat juicy roots! Then again, they do prefer things on the dryer side and don't so much like humidity... But then again, It may just make it!!!
When you have some artichokes, I'll share some Greek recipes with you!
I am in subtropical northern NSW, and my archematokes do fine - bit shorter lived than more southern ones, but I think wet is more of a problem for them than the heat. Silvery leaved things are actually adapted to heat - the leaf colour reflects the heat rather than absorbs it (just like insulation) (Silver beet has big dark green leaves for the opposite reason - adapted to trying to get as warm as possible in cold climates). But artichokes, sorry, archematokes have big tap roots than can't stand waterlogging. And a shape designed to catch water and funnel it towards the centre. I give mine the hardest sun I can find, but the best drainage.
Oh thank you Linda. I think quite a few of mine might be in a good position then, they are in raised beds with really well draining soil. Even my avocado tree was safe there last year when we had all that rain in Queensland and everything was soggy for months.
It's funny that you say that silver leaves are adapted to the heat, because all I could think of were my neighbour's lovely healthy olive trees and their silver leaves. Surely an olive tree is well adapted to the sun!
Phoebe - bring them on! My neighbour is Greek (the one with the olive trees) and I would LOVE to surprise him with something fabulous. In about a year!
Ali you tell that nasty lady to suck it up... see this lovely photo of Scarlett's harvest in 2008 and I can't find the photos but they have some at Jane St too... at least they did before the floods.
http://brisbanelocalfood.ning.com/photo/major-artichoke-harvest
Oh thank you so much Donna, that's just what I wanted to hear :) I will toddle off and look at the photos now. Fabulously encouraging woman!
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