Sow What?

Well before we answer that it may be handy to know that there are two types of Artichoke; the Globe (Cynara scolymus) and Jerusalem (Helianthus tuberosus).  I am going to concentrate on the Globe Artichoke here as this is the most popular with artichoke eaters and is certainly, in my opinion, the most attractive as it is a very decorative plant with its almost silver looking foliage and very large flowerheads that look not unlike thistles which are are normally green or purple in colour. 

The plants themselves are big and a perennial, so they are a long-term commitment.  They will normally reach around 90cm in height and a mature plant will spread to around the same distance.  Each plant will produce a few flower stalks and several smaller buds beneath these and it is these buds or flowers (or part of them) that we eat.  As with strawberries (see our earlier strawberry blog) the plants will not produce forever and they are in their prime for around 4 – 6-years.  However they will produce their own babies (or offsets or even suckers if we want to sound professional) for you to plant again so that you need never be without fresh artichoke.

So having decided we are going to grow artichokes where do we put them? Is I have said the artichoke is larger than the ‘standard’ crop but please don’t let this put you off growing them.  You will need to set aside a little bit of space and given their height they really need to be in a sheltered position where they are not going to be hit by the strong winds.  They also want to be out of direct sunlight but not shaded by trees as tree roots can spread a fungus (honey fungus) to the root of our plants.  A sheltered position will also protect the artichoke from the harshest frosts as they can be a little susceptible to frost.  The next consideration is the soil.  It is probably not a surprise to learn that an artichoke likes a rich, ‘well manured’ and good draining soil.  However the soil should be rich enough to hold some moisture as we do not want it to dry out during the summer months.  This causes the plant a lot of stress and will lead to a poor harvest and can, in some cases, kill the plant however if the area is well prepared with plenty of organic matter then this really should not happen.

Having done all of this we now need to plant something. There are two ways to plant artichokes; we can grow from seed or we can plant the offsets or suckers from an existing plant.  Assuming you have no existing crop then seed it is.  Depending upon the variety you are growing the sowing time will vary from Autumn (see the Talpoit Artichoke) through to Spring.  Autumn and early Spring varieties should be sown, under cover, about 1cm deep.  When the seedlings reach 5-6 centimetres in height transplant them into medium sized pots and allow them to continue growing into a decent sized plant and transplant into your chosen area during the early summer months.  Artichoke seeds are also quite happy being sown directly into your plot during the later Spring months although if your normal climate is a little on the cooler side this would obviously lead to slightly smaller plants that may not be strong enough to survive the winter.  Our advice would be  to sow under cover.

Once your crop is in full production you can use the offsets from your existing plants to maintain the higher cropping younger plants.  To do this simply choose a good healthy parent plant and remove the offsets, ensuring you take some root, and plant them directly into your plot, around 10cm deep and approximately 1-meter apart.  This should be done during Spring to ensure plenty of growing time before the winter arrives.

Once planted the artichoke will tend to look after itself.  Just keep the area moist, weed regularly and in the first year the plants will normally product only a single flower which should be removed quickly so that the plant does not waste too much of its energy.  If this is done then in the second, and subsequent, years it will produce many flowers.

After 5 or 6-years the plant will have produced many, many heads and it will be at the end of its most productive period.  Simply dig out the plant after this time and if you have been planting new offsets each year, then you will never have a season without fresh artichoke.

ENJOY!