Grow Small Artichoke Varieties

Sweetheart Artichoke Co

Q: Do you sell artichoke plants that yield small globes?
I live in Napa, CA.

A: The artichokes I produce grow to about 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Globe size depends on sunshine and water. Too much water and little sunshine will produce smaller globes.


Store-Bought Artichokes
The artichokes found in the store are very large, because they are commercially grown with chemicals. Home grown organic artichokes will grow to about the size of a man’s fist. The Imperial Star is a smaller and narrower variety than the green globe. It is also known for being more hardy, producing the first year, and yielding a larger crop.

Artichoke Plants with Smaller Globes


Italian Purple Violetto: If allowed to grow large, the globes are not desirable for eating. Picked small this variety is very sweet. Narrow or oval variety. Grows dark purple the first year and then burgundy-green the following years.




Violet de Provence: Medium size with rich purple globes. This is a traditional Italian globe.





Violetta di Chioggia: An ancient Italian variety. Small purple globes. Often grown as a decorative plant and consumed for its leaves as medicinal tea.



Imperial Star: A hardy hybrid of the green globe. Produces more thorns on the leaves and less thorns on the globes. Smaller globe size than the traditional green globe. Known for yielding first year. Available now.



How to Grow Artichoke Plants

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How to Stake Up and Care for New Artichoke Plants

Sweetheart Artichoke Co.


Artichoke Plants in Shock
When you first receive your artichoke plants in the mail, they will be in shock. The same is true for plants that are separated from a mother plant. The leaves may respond by wilting for 7 to 10 days.

Whether you plant in-ground or in a pot, your artichoke plant will probably need to be staked up for about 1 week.

Binding Your Artichoke Plant
Binding or Staking up your artichoke will take the stress off of the plant while it recovers from being shipped, and it is easy to do. Insert a thin stick into the ground next to your plant. Then, gently wrap wide material around the stalks and leaves.

Binding Materials
1. I find that a plastic grocery bag works well. Make sure the binding is not too tight so the leaves can breath. 2. Another method is using old pantyhose. The material allows air to flow through and also attracts ions that help the plant grow.

Good Potting Soil
My artichokes are love this mix.

1/3 part Miracle Grow Potting Soil
1/3 part Decomposed Granite
1/3 part Bagged Steer Manure Blend

Where to purchase the mix: The decomposed granite (or DG) and top soil can be purchased at a sand and gravel yard. Most locations will deliver right to your home or business. Miracle Grow and steer manure blend can be purchased at any garden center such as Lowe's or Home Depot. This blend will retain moisture better than just plain potting soil and your artichokes will love you for it too!

Watering Your Artichoke Plant
In cool weather, water once daily while your plant is getting established. In hot weather, water 2 times per day. However, artichoke plants needs good drainage. Too much water or standing water will actually drown your artichoke plant and cause root rot. The amount of water depends on the weather. If it is not raining, then apply about 1 inch of surface water. This amounts to about to about 4 cups to 1 quart of water.

What to Do When All the Leaves Die?
There are times when artichokes will temporarily go dormant after shipping. This is what they do for survival. It is shocking at first, but do not fear! As long as the artichoke roots do not rot, your plant will live. Trim back all the drooping leaves as in the picture. This plant actually grew much larger than it was before and was sold to a garden friend... which is thriving today.


Where to Find More Information
Search for more artichoke growing information on my blog or go to my website for Artichoke Care. If you have any questions or comments please post them here or email me at info@sweetheartartichokes.com.

GARDEN BLESSINGS, GAiL

Artichoke Planting Information

....Sweetheart Artichoke Co

Q: I ordered 6" plants. When I go to plant my artichokes in the ground, how large of a hole should I make? Also, when you say "sunny location", would all day sun [like 12 hrs full sun, no shade] be ok in zone 9b FL? Or should I put them somewhere with a little bit more protection? Thank you for you time! Fawn

A: Hi Fawn – Good question. I think I actually sent 10” plants because everything grew so fast over the last month. The plants I sent are Imperial Star; which adapt well to both hot and cold climates. Here are a few thoughts for you…

Fall Planting
Planting in the fall time is perfect, because the young plants really do not need any shelter from the sun. We have a local farmer by me (zone 9 as well) who keeps his green globe artichoke field in full sun all day long. In my personal garden, my artichokes have about 8 hours sun in the summertime. So to answer your question, 8-12 hours of sun of full sun is perfect.

Young 1st Season Plants
Because the plants are young I would cover them with a plastic tarp or a sheet during the night when there is a threat of frost. More important than sun, is mulching. When artichokes grow large (4-6 feet tall) their lower leaves naturally lay down. This is the plant’s way of protecting the roots below from the heat of the summer sun.

Hole Size
Digging a hole about 12” deep is just fine. Remember to fill it in with some good potting soil or to follow my soil recipe. If the ground is hard or clay base, then you will need to till the soil about 2 feet deep to promote healthy root growth.

Mulching
Simple mulching is important in the summer for hot climates, because it keeps the ground hydrated. It is important for cold to protect the ground from freezing in the wintertime. Simple mulching can be done by piling up grass clippings and leaves at the base of the artichoke plants. The best mulching plants are water hyacinth and water lettuce. These are pond plants that absorb fish nutrients from the water and add nitrogen to the soil.

When Artichoke Plants Die Back
It is normal for artichokes plants to die back in the wintertime. I have one garden friend who actually mows his plants down when the growing season is over. Then his plants come back up again in the springtime bigger and fatter. This year, my 3rd season plants (both potted and planted in-ground) died back mid season and then came back up again. This is normal. The plants in the farmer’s field also died back mid season. They grew back and are now about 3 feet tall in mid November.

Garden Blessings, GAiL

Note: More artichoke growing tips can be found by entering artichoke in the search bar in the upper right hand corner of my blog. Thanks for looking!

Winterize Your Artichoke Plants

Sweetheart Artichokes

Growing Zones 9 and Up

In hot or warm climates zone 9 and up, no winter care is needed for artichoke plants. Young 1st season plants can be kept year-round by placing a clear plastic tarp over at night to protect at night. The plant may go dormant, but will come up again bigger and fuller when the weather warms each spring.

Winter Care Zones 8 and Below
Artichokes go dormant in all growing zones during the winter and then come up again in the springtime. In growing zones 8 and cooler where there is snow fall and hard freeze, there are 2 recommended ways to plant and care for artichokes:

How the Italians Do It
In Italy, artichoke gardeners pull up their roots each year and bag them for winter storeage until there is no longer a threat of frost and freeze. By planting your artichoke in a garden box full of light and fluffy potting soil, it will make it easier to bag your artichoke plant after it has gone dormant for the season.

Straw and Poo
Before the heavy frost and after your artichoke goes dormant for the season…

.....•...Lay a heavy layer of straw or mulch over the plant; about 12”, the thicker the better
.....•...Cover the straw with a black tarp or black trash bags
.....•...Add another layer of straw (about 12”)
.....•...And then add a layer of raw steer or chicken manure
.....•...Cover with a black plastic tarp and secure down to prevent it from blowing away.
.....•...You will end up with a pile about 2 feet thick that will keep your artichoke warm throughout a cold winter season.

This is how my garden friends in Denver, Colorado winter-over their artichoke plants and they come back each year. The raw manure generates active bacteria that prevents the ground from freezing, and the thick layers keep the steamy pile from burning the artichoke plant below.

Garden Blessings! GAiL