Planting artichokes: everything you need to know about cultivation and care

Artichokes are probably the epitome of Mediterranean vegetables. But you can also plant artichokes in this country. Here you can find out what to consider when growing artichokes in the garden and how to care for them properly.

In many ways, growing artichokes (Cynara cardunculus, Syn. Cynara scolymus) an enrichment for every vegetable garden. In addition to its delicious flowers, the Mediterranean plant is popular with hobby gardeners as a remedy and even an ornamental plant. The special thing about this vegetable is that the inflorescence is consumed. The thistle-like artichoke plant is a species from the sunflower family (Asteraceae), which originally comes from the Mediterranean region. In our latitudes, therefore, special conditions must be observed so that cultivation can also be successful in Germany. We'll give you tips on how to best go about growing artichokes. Who more to Origin of the artichoke want to learn can read more about it here.

Artichoke varieties: variety and differences

Before growing the heat-loving artichoke, it is advisable to take a look at the different varieties. The different ones differ in terms of yield, growth and frost resistance Artichoke varieties strong. We present the most popular artichokes in our overview.

Planting artichokes: timing & location

Regardless of whether you buy the artichoke or rear it yourself - the right time to plant it out is important so that young plants are not exposed to too much cold or even frost. You can plant artichokes outdoors from the end of April. However, we recommend playing it safe due to the cold and only planting after the ice saints from mid-May. The time of planting is fundamentally dependent on the climate: artichokes can be planted earlier in wine-growing regions than in northern Germany, for example.

Artichokes are a Mediterranean plant. This is precisely why the right location is particularly important in our part of the world. Artichoke plants should always be in a sunny and sheltered place. A south-facing position and a place on a wall or house wall are ideal because of the warmth. The heat-loving plant is quite demanding on the soil. A nutrient-rich and deeply loosened soil offers optimal conditions for proper growth. For optimal conditions, you can fill the soil with a nutrient-rich vegetable soil such as our Plantura Organic tomato & vegetable soil improve. Heavy clay soils are rather unsuitable and should be loosened up with compost and sand in an emergency. Basically, there should be a greater distance between the plants. An optimal distance is 1 x 1 meter.

You should consider the following when choosing a location for artichokes:

• Full sun and sheltered location
• Nutrient-rich and loose soil
• No heavy soils such as clay or loam soils
• Distance of 1 x 1 meter between the plants

Propagate artichokes or buy plants?

Every hobby gardener who decides to grow artichokes asks himself the question: buy artichokes or grow them yourself? We present both variants:

Buying artichokes as young plants is the easiest way to grow them in your own garden. The plants can usually be bought in the garden center from April. Depending on the variety, you can count on the edible flowers as early as the first year. When buying, it is important to ensure that the plant is not damaged or sick.

If you decide to take the artichoke cultivation into your own hands, here's what it's best to do:

1. Sowing is from February to March. The seeds are allowed to soak in warm water for a day.
2. After pre-soaking, 2-3 seeds are sown per seed pot. Sowing depth approx. 2 cm.
3. After that, the pots are covered with transparent film and placed in a sunny location (for example the windowsill). But be careful: to prevent it from getting too hot, ventilate the pots regularly.
4. Remove the film as soon as the first seedlings appear. This prevents fungal infestation due to excessive humidity.
5. When the young plants reach a height of approx. When they reach 10 cm, they are pricked out into larger pots.

Caring for artichokes: tips on fertilizing and watering

The care of artichoke plants is relatively uncomplicated and does not require a lot of effort, except for wintering. However, proper watering and fertilization are important so that the blooming vegetables have enough water and nutrients available as they grow.

Pour artichokes properly

Sufficient watering is essential, especially when the plants are still young. The soil around the artichoke should therefore not dry out completely. You should also water regularly in summer. But the following applies: You should absolutely avoid waterlogging. However, the soil substrate is more important than the amount of irrigation water: therefore always plant artichokes in loose soil!

Fertilize artichokes properly

So that the artichoke can draw enough strength to develop the edible inflorescences in summer, fertilization is very important. It is best to start before planting out: Prepare the bed with compost. In addition to the supply of nutrients, this contributes to a better soil structure. After planting, you can add compost or vegetable fertilizer a few times in summer.

Tip: Artichokes are ideal for a mixed culture in the vegetable patch. It is therefore worthwhile to use the space between the plants salad, fennel or radish to plant. This allows you to make optimal use of the space and you have to remove fewer weeds.

Summary - how to properly care for artichokes:

• Water regularly, but avoid waterlogging
• Before planting out, fertilize the soil once with compost
• Re-fertilize several times with compost or vegetable fertilizer in summer
• In mixed culture with lettuce, fennel and radishes

Hibernating artichokes: this is how they can be grown for several years

The Mediterranean plant is one of the few species in the vegetable garden that you can grow for several years. So you can save yourself the annual new purchase or cultivation. Over the years the plant can reach a stately height. To do this, artichokes have to be properly overwintered in our cool climate. That's how it works:

1. After the harvest in autumn, cut the leaves and shoots down to a few centimeters.
2. Cover the plant with leaves, straw, manure, and other insulating material. For good protection, this layer should be at least 20 to 30 cm thick.
3. As an alternative, you can dig up the plant and its roots in autumn and overwinter in a frost-free place (for example in the cellar). It is important to leave a little soil at the root and never let it dry out completely.

Wintering outdoors is always a little risky in Germany. You should therefore always ensure a good cushion in winter. From April the cover can be removed again and the plant can sprout again.

Harvest artichokes

In order to use the delicious flowers for cooking, the correct harvest time must be observed. Otherwise, the flowers can quickly turn brown or start to bloom. Basically, artichokes are harvested when the buds are still closed. The respective time of ripening depends on whether the plant is growing in the first year or has already survived one or more winters. More information about the Harvesting artichokes can be found in our special article.

Store and preserve artichokes

If you don't want to eat as many artichokes as there are in your garden at home, there are several options. Either leave unharvested buds standing until they start to bloom. Otherwise, you can store artichokes to eat later. We present several options:

Store artichokes in the refrigerator

Artichokes can easily be kept in the refrigerator for a few days. To do this, place the harvested flower heads in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator. If you want to extend the shelf life even more, wrap the artichoke in a damp cloth or place the flower and stem in a glass of water (similar to a flower in a vase).

Pickle the artichokes

A popular way to preserve artichokes longer is to soak them in oil. You can use it to prepare a Mediterranean antipasti at the same time. With this method, the fruity vegetables can be stored for several weeks.

Freeze artichokes

Freezing is also a good way to store artichokes for a longer period of time. To do this, the artichoke heart is cooked beforehand and then placed in the freezer. In this way, artichokes can be stored for more than six months and you can eat them through the winter.

You can find more vegetables that are suitable for perennial cultivation in our article "Perennial vegetables“.