How to Plant Artichokes, Whose Prickly Exterior Hides a Good Heart

The artichoke is a good example of how appearances can be deceptive. Beneath this plant’s prickly exterior hides a tender heart. Grow your own and you’ll probably experience the tastiest artichoke heart you’ve ever eaten.

Plant a bare-root artichoke now and you’ll have artichokes ready for harvest about July, said Susan Kanno, sales associate and color buyer at Armstrong Garden Center in Santa Ana.

Artichokes are also available in six-packs as small plants, but, unlike the mature bare-root, small potted plants probably won’t bear until the following year.

Four artichoke plants will supply a family of four and leave a little left over for friends.

The artichoke is a member of the thistle family. This edible and ornamental perennial grows about 4 feet tall and spreads 6 to 8 feet. It is a gray-green plant with serrated foliage. The buds harbor the tender artichoke hearts. If left to flower, they blossom into purple thistles that can be dried for arrangements.

Although artichokes aren’t especially difficult to grow, they are particular about their growing conditions. They do best near the ocean and are grown commercially along the Northern California coast.

To be successful, keep the following tips in mind:

* Plant in a sunny spot that doesn’t bake in the summertime.

* Enrich the soil with homemade or bagged compost before planting.

* Space plants at least 4 to 6 feet apart.

* Control aphids, which love artichokes, by hosing down the plants with water daily. Insecticidal soap also works well. Snails and slugs can also be a problem. Use bait with caution.

* Although artichokes can tolerate a small amount of drought, it’s best to water thoroughly once a week after growth starts, making sure to wet the entire root zone. Sprinkle them on hot days.

* Feed four times a year with an all-purpose vegetable fertilizer.

* Mulch artichokes when they go dormant in winter, which will protect delicate plant crowns. Don’t water them while dormant. Wait until they re-sprout in spring.

* Harvest artichokes when they are plump and still closed. Don’t wait until the leaves are starting to flare out. Fruit size will vary.

* Artichokes have one large fruit on the main stalk and smaller fruit on side stalks. All are edible.

* Harvest artichokes by cutting them off at the stalk with a sharp knife.

* When the stalks begin to yellow, cut them off at the ground.