Perennial
How to grow globe artichokes
Cynara cardunculus (Scolymus group)
Globe artichokes are large perennials planted as rooted offsets or pot-grown plants in March and April, in full sun, shelter and rich soil that drains freely in winter. They crop from the second summer, with the main heads in June and July. Success comes down to three things: drainage, because wet winter soil kills more crowns than frost; a mulch over the crown from November; and replacing plants from their own offsets every three to four years.
- Hardiness
- Frost-hardy with a winter mulch
- Position
- Full sun, sheltered
- Soil
- Rich, free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Heavy feeder
Sowing and planting globe artichokes
WhenPlant offsets Mar to Apr; harvest Jun to Sep
Starting off
Plant rooted offsets in March to April, or pot-grown plants in spring; 'Green Globe' and 'Violetta di Chioggia' are reliable. Propagate by removing rooted offsets from the base of a 3 to 4 year old plant in March and replanting at once. Seed sown 2 cm deep at 15 to 20 °C in February to March germinates in 14 to 21 days but gives variable plants.
Spacing and planting
Plant 75 to 90 cm apart in rows 1 to 1.2 m apart; each plant grows 1.2 to 1.5 m tall and wide. Set offsets 5 cm deep in a hole enriched with compost and trim the leaves by half to reduce wilting. Not a container plant except a single 'Violetta di Chioggia' in a 50 litre tub for ornament.
Varieties worth growing
- Green Globe
- The standard green artichoke, widely sold as seed and plants. Large, fleshy heads; less hardy than some, so mulch it well.
- Gros Vert de Laon
- French variety with broad, flat-topped heads and a large heart. Usually sold as plants or offsets, and one of the hardier choices for UK gardens.
- Violetta di Chioggia
- Purple heads on a handsome silver plant. Raised from seed, so quality varies: keep the best plants and propagate those.
- Romanesco
- Rounded purple-flushed heads with good flavour, cut small and eaten whole or left to reach full size.
- Imperial Star
- Bred to crop in its first summer from an early sowing under heat. Useful on cold, heavy ground where plants are unlikely to overwinter.
Globe artichokes month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Check the winter mulch is still in place over the crowns.
- February
Sow seed indoors at 15 to 20 °C. Order plants or offsets.
- March
Pull the mulch back as new growth shows. Feed and mulch with compost. Take offsets from plants three or more years old.
- April
Plant offsets and pot-grown plants. Water them in and shade for the first week if it is sunny.
- May
Water new plants weekly. Plant out hardened seedlings after the last frost. Check for blackfly.
- June
Cut the main heads on established plants. Remove buds from first-year plants so they build a crown. Second feed.
- July
Keep cutting. Water in dry spells to bring on the side heads.
- August
Cut the smaller side heads.
- September
Last heads. Leave one to flower for the bees if you like.
- October
Cut spent flower stems to the base. Remove yellowing leaves.
- November
Cut the foliage down and cover each crown with 15 cm of straw or bracken.
- December
Nothing to do. Add fleece over the mulch if a long hard frost is forecast.
Feeding globe artichokes
A hungry perennial that crops in proportion to the organic matter and spring feed it gets. Feed in March and June only; nitrogen after midsummer makes soft growth that rots in winter.
A hungry perennial, generous organic matter and a balanced spring feed.
Feeding plan
Planting, March or April
5 g per litre of root ball, dusted onto the roots: 10 g for a plant from a 2 litre pot, 5 g on the base of a bare offset. Once only.
Every March, as growth starts
Garden compost
A 5 to 8 cm mulch over the root area, kept just clear of the crown.
Every March, under the compost mulch
Fruit & Vegetable Fertiliser 4-5-6
100 g/m² scattered over the root area and lightly forked in. A plant at 90 cm by 1 m spacing occupies about 0.9 m², so that is 90 g per plant.
June, as the first heads are cut
Fruit & Vegetable Fertiliser 4-5-6
50 g/m², about 45 g per plant (50 × 0.9), watered in. With the March dressing this reaches the label limit of 150 g/m² a season, so add no more.
July to winter
Nothing
No feed after the June dressing. The winter straw is protection, not food.
Signs to watch
Small, tough heads opening fast
A crown over 4 years old or nitrogen short
Replace from offsets and a balanced spring feed
Yellow, scorched leaf edges in summer
Drought on light soil, not potash shortage
Mulch 8 cm deep and water weekly
Soft crowns rotting in winter
Autumn nitrogen and wet soil
Feed only in spring, mulch with straw
Pests, diseases and problems
Dense black colonies on flower stalks and under the buds from May, sticky scales
Black bean aphid (blackfly)
Rub them off with finger and thumb or knock them off with a jet of water as soon as they appear. Check weekly through May and June; ladybirds and hoverflies usually catch up by July. Soak cut heads in salted water for ten minutes before cooking.
Young shoots and newly planted offsets shredded in spring
Slugs and snails sheltering in the winter mulch
Draw the straw mulch back from the crown in March as growth starts, hand pick after dark, and water in nematodes once the soil is above 5 °C.
Crown fails to reshoot in spring, or is brown and soft when uncovered
Winter loss from waterlogged soil, hard frost on an unprotected crown, or both
Plant on free-draining ground or a raised ridge, mulch the crown from November with 15 cm of straw or bracken, and take offsets every third year so you always have young replacements.
Brown, rotting patches on the scales of developing heads in a wet summer
Grey mould and petal blight in persistently damp weather
Cut and bin affected heads promptly, harvest on time rather than leaving heads to open, and keep plants at the full spacing so air moves through them.
Small insects with pincers inside the scales at harvest
Earwigs using the heads as daytime shelter
They do no real harm. Stand cut heads upside down in salted water for ten minutes and they float out.
Harvest and rotation
Harvest and storage
Cut the terminal head first in June to July at 8 to 10 cm across, plump with the scales still tight; cut with 5 to 8 cm of stalk using secateurs, and smaller side heads follow in August to September. First heads come in year two, 10 to 12 a year on a mature plant. Use within 3 days from the fridge; blanch hearts and freeze, or pickle small heads.
Rotation and companions
Rotation: a perennial kept 3 to 4 years then renewed from offsets, so no rotation; give it a permanent bed at the end of the plot. Dwarf beans and lettuce fill the ground beneath in its first year; a head left to flower brings in bees by the hundred. Keep away from sweetcorn and Jerusalem artichoke, which compete for light and water.
Good to knowMulch the crowns over winter and replace plants every three to four years from offsets.
Growing globe artichokes in pots
Globe artichokes are too large and deep-rooted to crop well in pots, and a potted crown is more exposed to winter cold. If you want one as a patio plant, use a tub of at least 50 litres with drainage holes, filled with a soil-based compost such as John Innes No. 3 mixed with a quarter grit. Mix in Fruit & Vegetable Fertiliser 4-5-6 at 5 g per litre at potting, which is 250 g for a 50 litre tub, and top-dress with 2 g per litre (100 g) each March. Water generously in summer, and move the tub against a house wall and wrap it in winter. Expect three or four heads, not ten.
Globe artichokes: common questions
When do you harvest globe artichokes?
Cut the heads from June to September when they are plump and the scales are still tightly closed, before they start to open. The large head at the top of each stem is ready first, usually in June or July, and smaller side heads follow.
Do globe artichokes come back every year?
Yes, they are perennials and reshoot each spring, provided the crown survives winter. In central England that means free-draining soil and a thick straw mulch from November. Plants crop best for three to four years, after which you replace them with their own offsets.
Should I let my artichokes flower in the first year?
No, remove the buds in the first summer so the plant puts its strength into roots and crown. The exception is a variety such as Imperial Star grown as an annual, which is meant to crop in year one.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.