Covid-19 Garden Journal Day 1

 All of a sudden my life as a horticulturalist has new meaning. I've been a gardener, both professionally and as a personal hobby, for many years. With many people now having to work from home or simply laid off and with time on their hands, everyone is interested in gardening. I'm not working much these days myself. I'm trying to lay low and help flatten the curve by leaving the house as little as possible. 
This is encouraging me to finally tackle long delayed projects in my own garden. I've been weeding, trimming and planting up a storm.
Today's surprise harvest: an artichoke!
Artichokes can be perennials here in California's mild climate. This plant is three or four years old I would guess. The plant had sprouted up new shoots at it's base and I had neglected to thin them. Thus, the main plant is more narrow and not as robust as it should be. Nevertheless I was happy to find this gorgeous choke waiting there for me. A pro tip for artichoke harvesting is to always put your artichokes in a pan or bowl of water when you cut them. For some reason bugs love to hide under the scales of the bud. They will crawl out into the water. Trust me, its much better to get them out this way than discovering them when you go to cook your artichoke. 
I also managed to turn my compost today and pull out a lot of ivy that crept over the back fence from the neighbor's. 

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