Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus
artichoke
Common names: vegetable artichoke
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 80 cm, rows 100 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Feb–Mar
- Harvest
- Jul–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −8 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Burkhard Mücke · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The artichoke is a striking, thistle‑like perennial shrub whose unopened flower buds are harvested as a fine delicacy. With its silvery‑green, deeply cut leaves it can reach over a meter in height and also serves as ornamental groundcover. In mild climates it can survive several years with adequate winter protection.
Care instructions
Sow seeds from February in a warm, protected location and transplant seedlings after the last frost to a sunny, wind‑protected spot with nutrient‑rich soil. Water during dry periods and amend the plant with compost. Harvest the buds while the scales remain tightly closed; in autumn, mound the root with leaf litter and straw to protect it through winter.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingFeb–Mar
HarvestJul–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 12 °C, ideally 20 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 21 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 1 cm
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich
The globe artichoke needs a deeply loosened, humus-rich, nutrient-rich soil that holds water well but is also free-draining. It does not tolerate waterlogging and reacts with root rot. A slightly lime-leaning pH range (6.5 to 7.5) is ideal; loosen heavy soils with mature compost before planting, and with acidic soil, lime lightly beforehand.
Lettuce and other daisy-family plants are light to moderate feeders; a break of about 3 years is enough, and they work well as gap fillers between the main crops.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Mar–Jul
As a heavy feeder, the globe artichoke has a high nutrient requirement. Before planting, work mature compost or well-rotted manure in deeply. In spring as growth starts, cover the high nitrogen requirement with compost and horn shavings shallowly in the upper soil layer. During the main growth phase (May to July) you can help along with diluted nettle feed if needed.
Overwintering
In late autumn, cut the leaves back to a hand's breadth above the ground and cover the rootstock thickly with straw or dry leaves, with brushwood or fleece on top; this keeps the soil frost-free and still lets air through, because waterlogging does more harm than cold. Stand container plants against a sheltered house wall and, in severe lasting frost, bring them indoors bright and cool but frost-free. Ventilate the covering gradually in early spring, as soon as no hard frost threatens any more.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
- Offsets
Globe artichokes can be propagated in two ways: by seed or vegetatively by basal side shoots (suckers/offsets) of established plants. For true-to-type propagation the vegetative route is more reliable, since plants grown from seed often turn out more variable.
Sowing (from February): Soak the seeds for a day in lukewarm water beforehand, then sow them about 1 to 2 cm deep in pots of loose, humus-rich seed compost. Keep a germination temperature of about 18 to 25 °C; after around 10 to 14 days the first seedlings appear. As soon as the seedlings have 2 to 3 true leaves, prick them out into larger pots, setting them somewhat deeper to encourage root formation. Harden the young plants off and plant them outdoors only after the Ice Saints (from mid-May), about 80 cm to 1 m apart. Plants grown from seed often flower only in the second year.
Separating side shoots/offsets (division, March to April): Choose a strong mother plant at least two to three years old. In early spring, when the plant starts growing again, look for strong side shoots or young leaf rosettes about 10 to 30 cm tall that have already formed roots of their own. Cut them cleanly from the mother plant with a sharp knife, together with a piece of root, shorten the roots to about 10 cm and reduce the leaf mass to around 15 cm, or by a third, so that evaporation falls. Plant the offsets immediately in a sunny, nutrient-rich, well-drained spot, water thoroughly and keep the soil evenly moist until they take. You can also divide larger, older clumps every four to five years to keep the plants vigorous. This method is true to type and often brings a harvest as early as the first year.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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From the magazine
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Growing Jerusalem Artichoke and Yacon: Two Tubers That Almost Grow Themselves
Jerusalem artichoke grows as if by itself and needs taming rather than tending, while yacon surprises with juicy, sweet tubers from the Andes. Here is how to plant, harvest and store these two low-maintenance potato alternatives.