Quick Guide to Growing Artichokes

If artichokes are perennial to your region, think long term about where to plant them because they’ll grow in that spot for up to 5 years.

Plant artichokes 4 feet apart in an area with full sun to partial shade and nutrient-rich, loamy soil.

Improve nutrition and texture of native soil by working in compost or other rich organic matter.

Water right after planting and provide consistent soil moisture throughout the growing season by watering when the top inch of soil is dry.

For fantastic results come harvest time, mix a continuous-release plant food into the soil during planting and reapply per label instructions.

Block weeds and retain soil moisture by adding a 4-inch layer of mulch made from organic material (such as straw, dry grass clippings, or aged manure) to prevent weeds.

Once buds start to form, remove the mulch and add a 4-inch layer of compost.

Harvest artichoke buds when they’re about 3 inches in diameter; they should be tightly packed and firm.

Soil, Planting, and Care

In zones where artichokes are perennial, select your site considering that plants will be in place for up to 5 years. Give plants room to spread, since mature plants can reach 3 to 4 feet tall and up to 4 feet wide. Artichokes thrive in full sun to partial shade. They also need light, fertile, well-drained soil—sandy or loam is ideal. For in-ground gardens, prepare the soil by working 3 inches of aged compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil into the top 6 inches of native soil. Two reasons artichoke plants fail are summer drought and winter soil that’s waterlogged. Adding compost improves soil’s ability to retain water in summer and drain in winter.

Artichokes can also grow well in large containers. Choose a pot or half whiskey barrel that is 24 inches in diameter (measure across the top). Fill it with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix, which provides potted plants’ roots with the ideal growing environment.

Plant artichoke seedlings atop the amended soil, spacing plants 4 feet apart. For best results, choose vigorous young Bonnie Plants®, grown by a company with over a century’s worth of experience providing plants to home gardeners. In zones 6 and colder, you can plant artichokes more closely, 2 to 3 feet apart, because frost will prevent the plant from reaching its mature, established size.

If you’re looking for an amazing harvest, you’ll want to add fertilizing with premium plant food to using great soil and strong plants. Feed growing artichokes regularly with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules, following label directions. This will not only feed your plants, but also nourish the soil microbes that help your artichoke plants get more nutrition from the soil. Also be sure to keep soil moist throughout the growing season.

Keep weeds out of artichoke beds. Give plants a thick mulch, especially in northern growing areas. Mulch with an organic material, such as dry grass clippings, straw, aged manure, or a mixture of these. As buds begin to form, remove mulch, and apply a 4-inch-thick layer of compost around each plant, extending from the base of the plant outward 12 inches.