The Ultimate Guide to Growing Artichokes

This easy-to-grow perennial offers pretty purple flowers and tons of tasty `chokes year in and out

Artichokes are one of the oldest vegetables in the western world. Native to the Mediterranean region, people have been eating them for thousands of years. A domesticated version of the wild Cardoon, a member of the thistle family, today’s cultivated artichokes lack the nasty thorns and grow large, round flower heads we refer to as “globe” artichokes.

In mild winter zone the plants flower in early spring. In colder areas they flower in late spring. Some varieties will also bloom again in mid-autumn, delivering two harvests a year. Artichokes are a dual-purpose plant. You can grow them for the edible, young flower buds, or grow them as a herbaceous plant with large, gray-green leaves and vibrant purple flowers pollinators love.

Either way (or both), Artichokes are super easy to grow and will deliver for years to come. Here’s everything you need to know.

Artichoke Varieties

Artichokes can be grown from seed or propagated via plant division or root cuttings. Technically perennials, they normally spend the first year growing and produce their edible flowers in the second and following years. Being native to the Mediterranean basin, they prefer mild winters (USDA Zone 7 and higher), but plant breeders have developed cultivars that not only flower in the first year, but will survive the colder winters of northern climates.

The large, commercially grown and popular home garden artichokes are generally Green Globe variants which prefer mild winters (80% of market artichokes are grown in Central California). However, other varieties in the “Star” family (Imperial Star, Northern Star, etc.) are hardier and will survive the winter in colder climates. There are also fast-growing varieties that can be raised as annuals, though their flowers tend to be smaller than the others.

How to Plant Artichokes

Regardless of the variety, all artichokes generally take a minimum of 100 days to come to maturity. So if you’re in a mild-winter zone like I am (San Diego, Zone 9), you can plant in the fall and expect a first harvest in early spring. For cooler climates you’ll want to start your plants indoors in mid-to-late winter and expect a harvest in summer.

Artichokes don’t have any specific soil requirements, so any decent potting or garden soil will do. If you’re planting from seed, simply cover them with about ½-inch of soil and keep them moist (not wet) for the 14-21 days they take to sprout. If you’re using root cuttings or plant divisions, bury them about 1-inch deep and keep them moist until new growth emerges (usually in 10 days to two weeks).

Young artichoke plants are safe to transplant into the garden once they have their third set of leaves and the soil is at least 50° F. If you’re transplanting outdoors in the fall, make sure the young plants are protected from frost for 3-4 weeks so they can get established. If you’re transplanting in spring, just do it after the risk of frost has passed or give them a little shelter until they’re established.

Growth Habit and Care

Artichokes will grow 3-5 feet tall and equally wide. In their first year of growth, it’s best to grow the plants several feet apart so each has an opportunity to spread out and establish a strong root system. After the first year, you don’t have to worry about that as much because each plant will sprout new shoots from nodules on the roots, creating clumps of plants. However, you should divide or thin the root clumps every 3-5 years to give the new plants more room to grow and limit the risk of pests or disease. You can re-plant the divided roots or give them to friends.

As far as plant care, artichokes are pretty easy to care for. They will thrive in moderately fertile soil and, as a plant from dry, semi-desert climates, need only be watered occasionally. I find that mulching around the base and deep watering once a week is more than enough to keep them happy throughout the season.

Artichoke Pests

In my experience the biggest insect pests of artichokes are snails, slugs and aphids. Snails and slugs don’t eat the young flowers, but they do chew up the leaves and poop in the leaf crotches, which is no fun. Pick these off by hand in the early morning to control them.

As for aphids, they will feed on the plant’s sap causing the leaves to curl and turn yellow which inhibits the plant’s growth. The easiest control for these is to spray them with neem oil or a mixture of water, dish soap, and vegetable oil.

When it comes to diseases, artichokes are susceptible to the usual trio that attack the veggie garden – damping off (seedlings), powdery mildew, and verticillium. The best control is to remove plants or leaves showing signs of infestation and keep the leaves and surrounding area dry and well-ventilated. Fungicides generally don’t work.

The biggest pest of artichokes I’ve found is the gopher. These burrowing rodents will eat the entire root and stem system of a large artichoke in a single meal, and can wipe out an entire bed of them overnight. I know. It’s happened multiple times.

As they come from underground, there’s nothing you can spray on the plant to repel them like you can squirrels, rats or mice. You either have to line the bottom of the bed with chicken wire or some other barrier, which isn’t always practical. Or you have to trap the critters before they get to your artichokes, which can be a problem because you don’t know you have a gopher problem until they start munching on the roots. I’ve had the most success with traps, but even then, I’ve lost a fair number of plants (grrrr).

Harvesting Artichokes

Artichoke flowers start to emerge about 80-90 days after planting. You can start harvesting the young buds about 10 days later. For peak flavor, wait until the flower stalk under the artichoke has started to bolt up away from the leaves and is several inches long. The first set of petals closest to the base of the flower should be just starting to open. At this point the leaves and artichoke heart are still tender, but the fibrous “choke” in the center hasn’t become tough and hard to separate from the rest.

To harvest, cut the artichoke off the plant a little bit above the second set of leaves on the stalk. In a few weeks two new stems will grow at the leaf junction and produce another set of (slightly smaller) artichokes you can harvest again.

When the artichokes get too small or numerous to harvest, let them flower! Not only are they really attractive, but bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators find them irresistible so you’re doing some good for nature. You can also cut the flowers and dry them. The stems and out leaves will turn dry brown, but the flower itself will stay a vibrant purple making them great for dried flower arrangements.

Ending the Season

If you’re growing artichokes as an annual, once the season’s over, pull them and you’re done. However, if you’re growing them as a perennial like I do, then once autumn rolls around, the leaves will start to die back from the ground up. After they have all died back, cut the main stem of the plant off at the ground leaving the base and roots in place. New plants will grow from base and root nodules around it, and the following season you’ll have 3 to 5 plants where there was just one.

If the new plants are too crowded in the next season, thin them so they have more room. Once the plants are 3 to 5 years old the root balls can get quite compacted. To keep them going strong, dig them out in late fall, divide them, and replant in the garden (if you have mild winters), or store them in a dark, cool dry place until you’re ready to plant them again in spring.