I bought some Art seeds on line last spring, but never planted them. I read they will bolt in hot weather. So I thought about putting them in a 5 gallon bucket so I could move them to the shade if they got too hot.

Here's my ?'s. . .
#1 Our summers rarely get over 100, is that cool enough?
#2 Is our season long enough to grow them?
#3 Should I direct sow or start indoors?
#4 Are last years seeds still viable?

I was going to soak some and stick em in some soil just to see if they are viable, but I only got 5 seeds and they were pretty spendy so I don't want to waste them if they need to be direct sown.

I've grown artichokes from seed twice in Toronto and yes, our summers are long enough to produce flower stalks and tasty artichokes - but they did need to be started indoors in March/April. This is an excellent ornamental veggie - the flowers, if left to go to seed and not cut off at the bud stage for eating - are quite spectacular, much like a large blue thistle.

Don't know about the viability after a year.