How to Grow Globe Artichokes in South Australia

Artichokes get overlooked because they look like something you would need a glasshouse and a plan for, and they are actually one of the easier things to grow here, mostly because they come from a Mediterranean climate and ours is close enough that they get on with it.

You plant them once

They are perennial, so one plant will keep producing for around five years and gets better as it settles in. That is a different proposition to a row of annuals, because the work is all in the first season and after that you are just picking.

Give them a metre and full sun

They get big, and a metre square per plant is about right, which surprises people who have tucked one into a gap. Full sun, and soil that drains. They will handle most soils as long as water is not sitting around the crown, so a raised bed suits them well.

Late winter into early spring is the window

That gives the roots time to get down before the heat arrives, which is what the first summer really comes down to. Mix a couple of handfuls of compost or aged manure in at planting and leave it at that, because they do not want a rich bed, and a seaweed tonic every fortnight while they are establishing does more than fertiliser will.

Water them in, then ease off

Keep the soil damp but not wet while the plant settles, mulch around the base to keep the roots cool, and back off the water once the buds start showing. Once established they are surprisingly tough through a dry spell.

Cut the bud before it opens

The part you eat is the flower bud, so you want it while the scales are still tight and it is about the size of a tennis ball. Cut the stem at an angle a few centimetres below the bud with secateurs, and do not be timid about it, because the plant pushes out more stalks after you take one.

Let one flower go

Leave a single bud to open. It turns into a big purple thistle that the bees will not leave alone, and it tells the plant the season is done so it can reset for next year. It is also the best looking thing in the garden at that point, which is a fair trade for one artichoke.

The three things that go wrong

Yellowing leaves usually means too much water or the drainage is not good enough, so check the soil before you reach for anything. Spindly growth means not enough sun, or something bigger crowding it. And no buds at all in the first year is often just the plant settling in rather than anything being wrong.

Come and have a yak with us if you want to know what will handle a particular spot, because the position matters more with these than the soil does.

Shop related products

• Brunnings Garden Compost with Seaweed 25L. A couple of handfuls at planting, and no more than that.
• Seasol Seaweed Concentrate 1L. The fortnightly tonic while they are establishing.
• Martins Organic Pea Straw Mulch 11kg. Around the base to keep the roots cool.
• Neutrog Whoflungdung Mulch 20kg. If you would rather a fed mulch than a straw one.

Artichoke plants come and go with the season, so ask us what is on the benches in the garden centre.

Keep reading

• A Beginner's Guide to Building Good Soil for Your Vegetable Garden
• Seeds vs Seedlings: Which is the Best Starting Point for Your Garden?

Candeece. Dirt under the fingernails, as usual.

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