When growing artichokes from seed, a good amount of culling is involved. Some seeds will produce stunted plants, while others produce albino plants. Also, you'll want to transplant only the most vigorous of whatever remains. The germination rate of artichoke seeds can be relatively low to begin with, so I planted about 40 in the greenhouse. I started the first set on February 14 (gives a whole new meaning to heart day), and another set two weeks later. The Valentine's Day artichokes have been popping up like crazy for the past few days. They are looking healthy and happy, but the little guy on the left will have to go.
He is a stunted albino artichoke. I'll keep him around for a bit out of pure curiousity, but he's gone as soon as room starts to run out. So far, the rest of the plants look like the lady on the right.
In other news, we finally caught a glimpse of the elusive wild boar. Mr. (or Ms.) Pig has been wallowing around the farm since winter began. We had seen his tracks, his scats, and bits of hair, but we hadn't seen him in the flesh until two nights ago when we were on our way to the greenhouse to turn the heater on. We're going to put up a wildlife camera this weekend to get a better idea of his habits. Piggy, your days are numbered!
No comments:
Post a Comment