Commercial Artichokes in the Intermountain West

Project Overview

FW06-027

Project Type: Farmer/Rancher

Funds awarded in 2006: $5,180.00

Projected End Date: 12/31/2008

Region: Western

State: Utah

Principal Investigator:

James Haggarty

Sun River Farms

View the project final report

Information Products

Table 1. Artichoke survival early spring planting - IPPFBE, Inc. 2006 (Chart)

Figure 2. The influence of straw mulch, clear plastic mulch and bare soil on soil temperatures in over-wintered artichokes. Data is the temperature taken at midnight during January 2007. (Chart)

Commodities

Vegetables: artichokes

Practices

Crop Production: cover crops
Education and Training: extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
Farm Business Management: feasibility study
Production Systems: general crop production

Proposal summary:

Artichokes are a nutritious, high value crop that grow best between 45 and 85 degrees. They are fairly frost-tolerant, but if they are not protected, temperatures below 20 degrees can kill the axillary buds that provide new growth in the spring. Growing annual artichokes or digging and storing them indoors over the winter are not economical options in cold climates. However, heavy winter mulching is a possibility. Dan Drost, a vegetable specialist at Utah State University, found that mulching with straw protects the artichokes, but the straw attracts rodents that damage the plants. Another option is using simple cultivation to cover the artichoke crowns with 3-6 inches of soil. James Haggarty operates Sun River Farms in Cache and Box Elder counties as an organic community supported agriculture operation. Working with Drost, Haggarty and other producers in Utah and Idaho, both organic and conventional, will examine the effects of soil mulching on artichokes.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.