- Author: Kathy Low
If you love eating artichokes but hate paying the high prices for them at the supermarket, consider growing your own perennial artichoke plant. Last spring I purchased a baby globe artichoke plant at a big box store on a whim while I was purchasing my tomato starts. I plopped the plant into the ground. But since putting the plant in the ground until February of this year the plant was literally ignored. Due to a series of surgeries over the last eight months, I was unable to physically get out into my backyard. So last year any artichokes on the plant were never harvested and ended up flowering. But despite the total neglect, the plant seems to be resilient and is now producing a new crop of artichokes.
According to the UC Vegetable Research Information Center website, globe artichokes don't reproduce true from seed so it's best to start with a nursery plant grown from a root division. They grow best in fertile well drained soil. It's best to mix in compost into the soil before planting. During the growing season they need regular weekly irrigation.
Artichoke plants grow up to four feet tall and six feet wide. So if planting more than one plant, be sure to allow for their growth.
To propagate artichoke plants, dig up a healthy plant and divide the root into two. Replant the root, and the new root section in an irrigated hole six to eight inches deep. Remember to plant them at least six feet apart from one another.
For more information on growing globe artichokes, read the document Growing Artichokes at http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/artichoke_GrowingArtichokes.pdf and Globe Artichokes at http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/ARTICHOKE/artichoke_HomeGarden.pdf