Exotic artichokes are increasingly adorning gardens in Central Europe, both as ornamental and vegetable plants. But cultivation can only be successful if the artichoke is planted in the right location and cared for in a species-appropriate manner. Find out here how your artichokes thrive in the garden.
How do I plant and care for artichokes in the garden?
To successfully plant and care for artichokes in the garden, you should place them in a warm, sunny and wind-protected location with nutrient-rich, loose soil. Make sure there is sufficient watering, regular fertilization and a planting distance of 80 cm to one meter.
Prefer artichoke seeds
Artichokes don't always bloom in the first year. But if you have bought a variety that promises this, you should put it on the windowsill from February. The small plants should only be put outdoors when frost is no longer expected. The same applies to plants purchased from specialist retailers. The end of May is often used as a guideline date: after this date you can plant your artichokes without any problems.
Planting artichokes
Artichokes like warm, sunny and wind-protected locations. Direct sun is not a problem for them and is tolerated much better than shade. It also needs nutrient-rich, loose soil in order to grow strong and he althily. Therefore, three to five liters of compost (€41.00 on Amazon) per square meter should be mixed into the soil before planting. It is also important that the artichokes are not planted too densely: they grow up to two meters high and a meter wide. Therefore, maintain a planting distance of 80 cm to one meter from one plant to the next. In between, however, you can certainly plant fast-growing, shallow-rooted vegetables that are harvested before the artichokes reach their full size.
Care for artichoke
Artichokes should be watered sufficiently, especially during the growth phase. Furthermore, as mentioned, they need sufficient nutrients. They should therefore be fertilized regularly: the fertilizer added when planting is followed by at least another compost fertilization in late summer. If the soil is poor in nutrients, several fertilizer applications may be necessary.
Harvesting artichokes
It doesn't just look like the artichoke flowers are being harvested, it's actually the case. For the same reason, artichokes are also called flowering vegetables. However, the flower is harvested as a bud when it is still closed. Otherwise, a very attractive purple flower will appear and the artichoke can no longer be eaten. You can find out how to harvest your artichokes here.
Overwintering artichokes
Most of the artichoke species available from us are somewhat hardy, but require winter protection. The artichoke is covered with a mixture of sand with straw, manure or leaves. For more information on overwintering your artichoke, check out our overwintering guide.