How to Grow Artichoke
Artichoke At a Glance
Difficulty
Challenging
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -12°C
Plant Family
Asteraceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Artichokes need a long season, so sow them indoors about 8 weeks before your last frost, or they will not make buds before fall. Sow 2 seeds 1 cm deep in each small pot, keep them warm, and they sprout in 10 to 20 days. Plant them out about 2 weeks before your last frost, 90 cm apart, because a couple of weeks of cool weather below about 10°C (50°F) is what tells young plants to make buds in their first year. Before planting out, set the pots outside in a sheltered spot for a few hours a day, a little longer each day for about a week, so they toughen up (this is called hardening off).
Artichoke is a big perennial grown for its flower buds, but it only lives through winters down to about -12°C (10°F) under a thick mulch, so in most of Canada it is grown fresh from seed each year. Plants from seed vary a little in size and spines, which is normal. A bud you do not pick opens into a huge purple thistle flower that bees love.
When To Start
First chance to plant
14 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
60 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Artichoke?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Artichoke Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Artichoke Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Start artichoke seeds indoors in small pots, in a warm spot
8 weeks before your last frost· every year
Plant artichokes out now, a little cool weather helps them bud
2 weeks before your last frost· every year
Cut artichoke buds while they are still tight and closed
90 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Mulch artichokes thickly if you want to keep them over winter
2 weeks before your first frost· every year· optional
Start hardening off your artichoke seedlings: an hour outside today, a little longer each day.
24 days before your last frost
Water your new artichoke plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
Hello to your artichoke! Keep the soil moist and feed it well, since artichokes are big, hungry plants.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your artichoke is filling out. Keep up the water in hot weather so the plant stays strong and leafy.
About 90 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your artichoke.
About 180 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Artichoke's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 10–20 days
Growing Tips
- 1Give artichokes full sun, at least 6 hours a day.
- 2Dig plenty of compost into the soil, or use a big, deep pot of rich potting mix, because these are large, hungry plants.
- 3Water deeply about once a week so the soil stays evenly moist, and spread mulch around them to hold the moisture in.
- 4Feed with compost tea or a handful of worm castings every 3 to 4 weeks once the plants start to grow fast.
- 5Spray aphids off the buds and stems with a strong stream of water, and pick slugs off by hand in the evening.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~180
Days to Maturity
120 cm
Mature Height
120 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
60 days
When to Pick
Harvest buds before opening
How to Harvest
- 1Cut the main bud when it is plump and firm, about the size of your fist, while the scales are still tight and closed.
- 2Use a sharp knife to cut the stem 5 to 8 cm below the bud.
- 3Smaller buds then grow on the side stems, so keep cutting them while they are tight.
- 4Leave one or two buds to open into purple flowers for the bees if you like, since they are too tough to eat once open.
- 5Keep artichokes in a bag in the fridge and eat them within a week.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Let one or two of your best buds open into purple flowers, and leave them on the plant until the heads turn brown and dry. If frost comes first, cut the stem with the head on and hang it upside down indoors to finish drying. Artichoke crosses with cardoon, its close cousin, so grow only one of them if you want seed, and expect the seedlings to vary a little even then; hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true at all. Pull the seeds out of the dry head, rub off the fluff, and store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, where they keep about 5 years.
Seed Production
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