Artichoke

It sounds like your garden is a wonderful gift from your grandfather. Harvest the top stemmed artichoke first and then prune that stem to the ground unless there are lower artichoke fruits developing – the lower ones will not be as large. Make sure you harvest before they open up. If allowed to open, it will develop beautiful purple flowers (stamens), but will no longer be edible. Once you have harvested all the artichokes and cut back the fruit bearing stems, you may have another crop in the fall. After the fall artichokes have been harvested, cut down the plant to the soil level, cover with mulch and it will come back in the late winter/early spring. During its growth and bloom cycles, feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for vegetables and water regularly. For more information, visit online websites such as:
Growing Artichokes – Bonnie Plants
bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-artichoke