Artichoke
Globe Artichoke, French Artichoke
Perennial in zones 7–11; grown as annual elsewhere. Needs winter cold (vernalization) to trigger bud formation — start indoors 8–10 weeks before last frost and harden off carefully. Plants get 4–5 ft tall and wide. Harvest buds before scales open; primary bud is largest. In cold climates, mulch crowns heavily and cut back for winter. Plants peak in productivity years 2–5.
- Germination
- 10–14 days
- Soil temperature
- 18–27 °C
- Harvest after planting
- 85–100 days
- Spacing
- 120–185 cm
When to plant artichoke
Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last spring frost, and plant out within 2 weeks after it.
Dashed line: typical last spring frost in zone 7 (Apr 5). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow artichoke
- 1
Sow indoors
Sow 6 mm deep 8–10 weeks before the last frost. Before planting out, give seedlings about two weeks at around 10 °C: that cold spell triggers bud formation in the first year.
- 2
Plant out
Plant after the last frost, about 1 m apart. Plants grow 1.2–1.5 m tall and wide.
- 3
Overwinter
Artichokes are perennial where winters stay above about −10 °C. Cut back and mulch the crowns heavily in autumn.
- 4
Harvest
Cut buds before the scales start to open, from about 85 days after planting. The central bud is the largest. Plants crop best in their second to fifth years.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun
Water
Medium water
Temperature
0–30 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-hardy — tolerates frost
Days to maturity
85–100 days
Ideal soil pH
7.5–8
How Tomatograph watches your artichoke
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- First frost within 14 daysReminder to mulch the roots before winter.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for botrytis, which thrives in those conditions.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Artichoke questions
- When should I plant artichoke?
- Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last spring frost, and plant out within 2 weeks after it.
- How long do artichoke seeds take to germinate?
- Usually 10–14 days at a soil temperature of 18–27 °C.
- How long until I can harvest artichoke?
- About 85–100 days after planting out, depending on variety and weather.
- How far apart should I plant artichoke?
- Allow 120–185 cm between plants.
- What grows well with artichoke?
- Good neighbours include sunflower, tarragon, peas.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).