Artichokes Find A Place In Texas
April 10, 2013 It was cool and overcast during the recent harvest of a 12-acre field of artichokes being grown by MO Produce LLC in Rancho Viejo, near Brownsville, TX.
As the workers methodically harvested the fist-size globes from the tops of plants, Mike Ortiz, one of the operation’s owners, oversaw the harvest and inspected the rest of the crop.
“This is our fifth year for growing artichokes here in the Rio Grande Valley and we’ve had good success with them so far, especially with help from the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Uvalde,” said Ortiz, who has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M University.
While more than 95% of U.S. artichoke production is currently in California, Ortiz and his business partner, Jed Murray, himself a California “transplant” to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, have been giving the artichoke a home where the armadillo and roadrunner roam.
“There is currently some fledgling commercial production in the Rio Grande Valley and Winter Garden area, with additional small-scale production in the Hill Country and in the Austin and Dallas area,” said Dr. Daniel Leskovar, Texas A&M AgriLife Research vegetable physiologist and Uvalde center director. “There are also many home gardeners throughout the state who grow artichokes in small veggie garden plots. But the artichoke as a commercial crop is still a relative newcomer to Texas.”
Since 2007, Ortiz and Murray have been consulting with Leskovar on various aspects of artichoke production. He and his fellow researchers have provided them research-based information and assistance on variety selection, transplantation, irrigation and various production methods so they might produce artichokes that will meet or exceed consumer expectations.
“From a production standpoint, artichokes are a reasonably low-maintenance crop,” Ortiz said. “In general, they require about the same amount of effort as say cabbage or onions. Plus, they have a much better profit potential than most of the traditional crops produced in the Valley.”
Click here to read the full story from Texas A&M AgriLife.
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