May 23, 2018

Planting Artichokes and Brassicas in the Vegetable Garden

The beds in my vegetable garden are filling up quickly.

My gardeners have been very busy in the outdoor vegetable garden down by my chicken coops. After making all the beds and spreading salt hay on the footpaths, they planted a number of big crops - artichokes and brassicas, also known as cruciferous vegetables. I love these vegetables and always plant enough to share with my family and friends. Cruciferous is the scientific name given to a group of vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Named for the cross-shaped flowers they bear, crucifers contain a wide variety of disease-fighting antioxidants and phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and vitamin-C. Globe artichokes are half-hardy perennial thistles native to the mild climates of the Southern Mediterranean. In this area, they grow best started indoors from seed and then transplanted in spring for a late-summer to fall harvest.

Enjoy these photos.