I live in Illinois, zone 7a. Last year I did what you said, I cut back my artichoke plants in late October and then covered them with about 12 inches of leaf mulch. It seems that IL did have a fairly wet winter with alot of snow. When I uncovered the artichokes in the spring, they were just a mushy mess. Everyone of them had the roots rotted. I replanted last spring and am now ready to winterize once again but am afraid to use the same method. What did I do wrong? In fact the same thing happened to my raspberry bushes and strawberries. Could you please give me suggestions? Thank you.
I live in Illinois, zone 7a. Last year I did what you said, I cut back my artichoke plants in late October and then covered them with about 12 inches of leaf mulch. It seems that IL did have a fairly wet winter with alot of snow. When I uncovered the artichokes in the spring, they were just a mushy mess. Everyone of them had the roots rotted. I replanted last spring and am now ready to winterize once again but am afraid to use the same method. What did I do wrong? In fact the same thing happened to my raspberry bushes and strawberries. Could you please give me suggestions? Thank you.