How to Plant, Grow, & Cook Artichokes: A Complete Guide

This is everything that you need to know about growing, harvesting, and preparing artichokes. I’m going to walk you through all the basics so it takes the mystery out of this unique perennial vegetable.

In my small urban homestead, I have 4 artichoke plants and 3 are different varieties. One of the wonderful things about growing artichokes is how many varieties you have available to you as opposed to the simple green globe artichoke that you can usually find in the store. You can even grow purple artichokes.

I also have a companion video to this blog post if you would like to check it out below. It will show you how to pick artichokes, clean them and cook them in a super easy way. It will also go over some of the details in this blog.

Now let’s dive in to the world of artichokes!

What is an artichoke?

The artichoke that we eat is actually an unopened immature flower bud of a thistle plant. These artichokes are not the same as Jerusalem artichokes. Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) are a specifies of sunflowers native to North America and the tubers or roots are what’s harvested and eaten from them.

Artichokes that we know today are a domesticated variety of cardoon that has been selected over time for its large edible flower buds. The actual timeline of its origins are fuzzy but it’s believed to have originated in North Africa and then rapidly gained popularity in the Mediterranean region along with Spain and Italy.

Since I mentioned cardoon I should probably let you know that artichokes are often mistaken for cardoon, another perennial edible thistle plant, but unlike artichokes the stems of the cardoons are eaten and not the flower. Cardoons (C. cardunculus var. altilis) are often sold in nurseries right next to artichokes so make sure to take notice of the plant tag before you purchase your starts.

An artichoke is part of the thistle family, or more correctly speaking it is part of the genus Cynara which contains all thistle like perennial plants. Artichokes proper scientific name is Cynara Cardunculus var scolymus. Artichokes proper scientific classification and that of thistles falls in the genus Cynara which are part of the Asteraceae family which contains also daisies and sunflowers! Pretty neat huh?

Now that we have some basic botanical knowledge of artichokes lets jump into why you are here.

How to grow artichokes?

Basic artichoke growing requirements:

Artichokes are relatively easy plants to grow. Place artichoke plants where they will get full sun exposure, at least 6 hours but more is better, and in rich, well draining soil.

Artichokes are incredibly heavy feeders so you will need to make sure that when you plant them that the soil has a heavy amount of compost, well aged manure, and some good organic fertilizer to feed the artichoke plant all of the nutrients that it needs to grow, thrive and produce large beautiful heads.

Artichokes are very large plants and will need between 3 to 5 feet of space around them and vertically. When planting them as understory plants, like I have in my food forest, be sure to space them off to the side of the tree so they don’t collide with the branches.

Artichokes prefer mild climates, especially those with mild winters. The growing season for them in these areas is nearly year round. This is why nearly all of the artichokes grown in the United States are grown on the central coast of California.

If you ever visit Monterey County you will see large fields full of artichokes along Highway 1. It is quite the sight! It is the artichoke capital of the world, or at least that’s what the sign that we’ve driven under in Castroville says.

But if you don’t live in an area with a mild climate it is important to note that your artichokes may stop producing when the weather becomes too hot. They will pick up production again when it cools down. In very hot climates artichokes will produce in the Spring to early Summer and then again in the fall.

Can you grow artichokes from seed?

Artichokes can be grown from seed or you can purchase a start from a nursery.

If you decide to grow them from seed start them 12 weeks before your last frost date. Earlier if you want to plant a much bigger plant in the ground to get it going faster. Just make sure that you have the space for it in your house or greenhouse.

Plant the artichoke seeds 1/4 inch deep in a large container such as a 4 inch pot or larger. Use a heat mat to boost the temperature of your soil to get the seeds to germinate faster. Once the seeds have germinated you can turn off the heat mat but make sure that the air temperature for the seedlings is around 75 degrees. Artichokes are plants that prefer cooler climates so make sure that they don’t get too over heated. The plants may be stunted if exposed to very high heats.

Is artichoke an annual or perennial vegetable?

Artichoke is an annual vegetable often for people in zones 7 and under but with some extra care they can actually be perennials down to zone 5. Isn’t that amazing!

If you live in a cold climate and want to perennialize your artichokes this is what you should do. Let at least one of the artichokes go to flower, it will not only be stunning for your garden but it will also attract lots of pollinators and signify to the plant that it needs to reproduce. The plant will not only produce seed from the flower, but it will also produce pups or side plants that you can transplant around the garden the following spring. After the bloom is spent you will want to cut the artichokes down to about 6 inches above the soil and add thick layer of mulch around it. Compost followed by a heavy amount of straw will help protect the artichoke crowns for next year. If you want to give it extra protection you can add a burlap sheet over everything and hold it down using bricks, stones, or landscaping staples.

I’m in zone 9b on the California coast just down from the artichoke capital of the world and if you are in a mild climate like me you may not even have to cut the plant down. Depending on the year these can even produce over the winter months.

Is there more than one variety of artichoke?

Yes! There are so many out there. In my garden I have 3 different varieties. I used to have 4 but one wasn’t my favorite so out it went.

Artichokes aren’t just beautiful green bulbous vegetables. They can be shades of purple, silver green, green, or variations. They can be round or elongated. Some even look like rose buds starting to open.

Before you purchase any artichoke seeds or starts you may want to consider your environment. Most varieties of artichokes are best grown in areas where they will be able to be perennials since they are very slow growers.

If you are in a northern cold climate and you want to give these a try but can’t or aren’t sure if you will like growing them then try the Green Globe Artichoke variety. This variety matures early and does well being grown as an annual.

Why are my artichokes so small?

If your artichoke produced large heads at the beginning but now its producing smaller heads then do not fret. This is normal.

The size of your artichokes depends on whether it was a primary, secondary or tertiary head. The primary heads that the artichoke produces will be the largest and depending on the artichoke variety you will get between 5 to 7 heads. Next comes the secondary heads that will be smaller still and then the tertiary heads. These are often the heads that you see using in artichoke preserves.

How to harvest artichokes?

Artichokes are best harvested when the heads are large and still fully closed.

When the petals or outer layers start to open up that’s when you want to avoid harvesting them. When the layers start to peel back it means that the artichoke is getting ready to open up and flower. If you were to harvest it only the heart would be good the inside layers would be too tough.

You want to using a sharp knife or some good sharp pruners to cut the artichokes off of the plant. I always like to cut a few inches below the bud. Depending on what I am cooking the stem is very tender and delicious near the bud.

How to store artichokes after harvesting them?

Artichokes can dry out in the refrigerator by themselves so its best to store them in a plastic bag. I like to roll them in a damp paper towel and then place it in a plastic bag to store inside of a crisper drawer in the refrigerator.

You can also store artichokes in the freezer but you need to prepare them first. Artichokes freeze incredibly well. So let’s dive in in how we can prepare artichokes for eating and preserving.

How to prepare artichokes for eating and preserving?

Preparing artichokes is fairly simple but the trick is to have everything ready and close by before you start. Once cut in half artichokes oxidize quickly, so be sure to have a bowl of water with lemon juice in it so you can place your artichokes in it after they are cleaned.

After you have harvested your artichoke, you will want to inspect it for ants and any other garden creepy crawly. If you see ants, dip the heads in water for a bit to get rid of them.

How to clean and prepare artichokes for cooking?

Preparing artichokes for a eating the petals with a dip

Start by peeling off the tough outer leaves or outer petals from the artichoke head. These will be too tough to eat. Trim of the tip of the head with a knife to cut off the tips of the petals and inspect the remaining ones for thorns. If you see any a pair of scissors works well to cut them off.

If you are planning on having the artichoke leaves to eat with a dip, such as a velvety hollandaise or a garlic aioli, or some melted butter with garlic then you don’t have to do much else. You will just need to cut or use a potato peeler to trim the exterior of the stem and then you can steam the whole artichoke head in a steamer basket, or in your instant pot. You can also boil them in some water and lemon until they are soft.

If you are planing to use artichokes for the inner most part such as the artichoke heart than this part is for you.

After you peel the outer most petals off of the artichoke and trim off any thorns from the petals you will want to cut the artichokes in half length wise. You will see the fuzzy choke in the bottom. This part you want to use a small spoon for and scoop it out. A small pairing knife also works for removing the choke.

The choke is where the seeds will form and what will bloom when the artichoke opens up. In an immature head the choke will be very irritating to the throat. I recommend adding the cleaned up heads to a bowl of water with lemon to make sure that nothing sticks around.

Once the artichoke heads are cleaned you can prepare them in various ways.

How to cook artichokes?

There are many ways to cook artichokes. My favorite is to roast them with garlic, lemon and some herbs until tender and then serve it in a pasta dish or on a pizza. I also am a fan of parboiling them in a lemon water with garlic and then finishing them off with a garlicky ginger chili sauce. Yum!

Here are a few ways on how to cook artichokes:

1. Young small heads can be eaten raw once cleaned

2. Larger heads can be steamed or boiled and petal can be eaten with a dip

3. Heads can be roasted with lemon, garlic, and spices and eaten in pastas, pizza or frozen for future meal.

4. Artichokes can be parboiled and finished on a grill or, sautéed, seared in a stir fry, or in an air fryer

5. Artichokes can be braised and cooked from raw until tender.

6. Young artichokes can be deep fried without any additional preparation other than the batter.

I hope that this information was helpful to you and that you can now feel comfortable with how to plant, grow, and cook artichokes! If you have any additional questions please let me know. I would be happy to help!

Be sure to also check out this companion video to this blog post.

Until next time!

Plant what brings you joy!

Ale