jef Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Any one used artichokes for cover?? Heard some good things about them. Where to buy? How to sow?? Thanks James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprinter Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Don't do it, they are the spawn of the devil. Your beaters will hate you Now for more information. Sow them thinly, too thick and they are inpenetrable. Also if too thick your beaters will not be able to see the next man in the line and your line will go to ****. They have a nasty habit of blowing over at 90 degreees just over thigh height. Once this happens it is very very difficult to get through them, again your line will go to **** men will be lost big holes in line, drive will take 3 hours (or seem like that). After rain they retain the wetness for many many hours, even a small shower will render all beaters and yourself soaked to the skin after only 30-40 metres. On the upside they grow again year after year and need little or no resowing and the birds seem to like them. In short good easy care cover crop, however they will sap energy and morale. After a year or two you will wish you never heard the word artichoke. All you older reliable beaters will have moved on to other shoots and you will have a team of young n00bs that don't know **** from caviar. Apart from that they are lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David BASC Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 We used artichokes on a shoot, they were fantastic- we did not plant them in big blocks though - like you may do with maize, we used to plant them in small patches about 20m x 10m. When they blow over they form 'tunnels' that if you feed into it, act like a pheasant magnate, great holding / flushing crop, just send the dogs in and watch the birds burst out! Kings seed sell them for example - easy crop to grow, sow and forget pretty much David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 they also keep coming back year on year so no need to re sow, however they are difficult to get rid of once established, we've got a strip that keeps expanding the farmer sprays them yearly and they still keep coming back. They give good early season cover but not much good past december, if you use them use them in a mix with other cover species Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 As al4x says, also you would be best sowing a small area first and see how it goes, then if you like it you can harvest it and sow other areas with the surplus. I have them in my allotment and they are tenacious swines! A small root left behind is 3kg of tubers in less than 6 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 A great cover crop that doesn't need a lot of maintenance and will go on year after year BUT as with all cover crops DON'T drill them. For best results braodcast them by hand or use a quad/spinner. The problem with drilled cover crops is you end up with straight lines down which all your birds will run and flush at the end. With broadcast crops the birds don't have pathways to run down and so flush all through the crop. I know it's more effort/time etc but nothing that works well is ever easy! Better also is mixing crops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 simple option highlander is a section of tined harrow behind a quad to pull it about a bit I used to beat on a shoot where they ridged the artichokes much in the same way as potatoes. Worked well as they could duck behind the ridges, this then ran into a section of canary grass which tended to hold them and stop them flushing as easily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jef Posted May 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Thanks guys, nice light hearted replies. I'm only thinking of small blocks in among the odd larch tree. My only worry would be if the farmer wanted them gone some day......... Thanks James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 We dabbled with artichokes last year and are going full on all cover artichoke this year. Easy to sow, take and maintain - the previous years we are just turning over now. We have had too many other cover crops just not take or fail. As has been said, cut channels in for beaters and for the birds to wander into and run along. The farmer has some plan to chequer board ours to get the birds to run down the channels, meet a dead end / object / bit of tape etc and to encourage them to get up. Well, the worst that can happen is it not working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 Artichokes are best used as a 2m strip down the sides of more delicate gamecrops to act as a windbreak. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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