growing artichokes

Question

What causes the bracts to start opening on a small artichoke? I would like the artichoke to grow to a larger size before having to harvest.

Answer 1

Artichokes are heavy feeders, and too little fertility or too little water can cause smaller heads. Also, reducing the number of shoots growing from each plant is supposed to increase the head size produced on the remaining shoots. Artichoke plants grown from seed are genetically variable, and this can affect the size of the artichokes.