Artichokes

Artichokes have a delicate flavour. The flower heads are picked and eaten before they have a chance to bloom. Plants can be grown from seed but it is easier to buy ready-rooted suckers to plant in the spring.
The plants grow to 1.5m x 1m (5ft x 3.25ft) and make good structural plants as well as having edible flowers. They can be grown in groups, 60cm (2ft) apart with 75cm (2.5ft) between rows, but as each produces up to 12 edible heads, one plant may be enough for your needs.

What to do

Soil preparation

Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Artichokes are perfect for the back of a border.
Add plenty of well-rotted manure to the planting site and add horticultural grit to clay soil to improve drainage.
Rake in some general fertiliser before planting.

How to plant

Dig a hole bigger than the sucker and plant so that the soil mark on the stem sits at the same level as the surface of the soil.
Fill the hole with soil and make sure the plant is held firmly and water well.

Aftercare

Water plants well until they are established – make sure that they don’t dry out in hot weather.
Cut back stems in autumn and protect the crown over winter with a thick mulch of bark chippings, straw or other material.
In early spring add a mulch of well-rotted manure to help boost growth.

Harvesting

In the first year, plants need to put all their energy into making growth, so remove any flower heads as they form.
In the second year, allow the edible heads to develop for harvesting in summer. Pick the top bud first, when it’s large and swollen, but before the scales have started to open – cut off with a few centimetres of stem attached. Pick the side buds when they have reached a decent size.

Five artichokes to try

‘Green Globe’ – popular variety with big green heads
‘Romanesco’ – attractive purple heads
‘Violetta di Chioggia’ – great tasting purple heads
‘Purple Sicilian’ – small, deep purple heads
‘Violetta Precoce’ – violet coloured heads