The artichoke is a winter vegetable in temperate climates which needs cold to flower and develop. What is special about this vegetable? That we feed on its flowers, not roots or leaves. It blooms from mid-autumn to mid-spring. The Mediterranean basin concentrates 90% of world production. Artichokes take up a lot of space, and if you don’t have a lot of garden space, it’s worth planting them in permanent beds or large pots. Artichokes can be eaten in many stews: steamed, roasted, boiled, seasoned or fried, bathed in a mixture of oil, vinegar, garlic and parsley. Something not everyone knows is when to plant artichokes.
For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you when artichokes are planted, how you should do it and what aspects to take into account.
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main Features
Before knowing when artichokes are planted, we are going to know a little more about them. One of the good things about artichokes is that they can be prepared to eat almost any way: boiled, sautéed, grilled, as an accompaniment to tortillas, mashed, mashed, with garlic or simply raw in a salad. Either way, you’ll probably enjoy eating this flowering vegetable. In addition to the above, artichokes are a great plant to add to your garden or garden.
When left to mature and bloom, the flowers are a very spectacular crimson red. As a good vegetable, we can find positive properties in artichokes. Among them, we highlight the following points:
- Diuretic, toning and stimulating properties.
- They are choleretic, depurative and anti-anaemic.
- They contain vitamins A, B1, B2, C and PP.
- They also contain minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and sodium.
When to plant artichokes?
Artichokes need a temperate, rather cool climate. However, they do not tolerate frost well, nor overheated days. It is ideal to start growing artichokes in March and April. Regions like the Mediterranean in winter, spring and autumn are generally suitable for this vegetable. For this reason, we will plant artichokes during the months that make up spring, fall and winter. So between April and May.
Artichokes need sun, like most vegetables. But not too much. About 5 to 6 hours a day can be enough. Even on hot summer days, it’s fun to plant them in a spot where they can be shaded most of the day.
You will need space as artichokes spread a considerable width (about 1m) and grow 1m to 1.5m tall. The artichoke is a demanding plant in the soil. We need rough and airy lands. It has depth and is rich in humus. We will also add animal organic matter, preferably something that decomposes well.
Avoid heavy, dry soils. Before planting artichokes, it is worth removing the earth with an electric tiller. Make sure the compost is well mixed. After doing the above, We will do general irrigation to moisten the soil instead of flooding it.
Artichokes need lots of compost. Areas that had crops are ideal. But beyond that, we must add the organic ones. Ideally, it should be of animal origin, such as feces. At first, we will give subscribers about 7-10 kg per square meter. Then, as the plants grow, we’ll add some homemade organic matter, like compost, at least initially.
Artichokes are also picky about watering. However, they do not tolerate excess water and waterlogging very well. So we have to avoid them. Like always, the ideal irrigation option is drip irrigation. We water every 2-3 days for about 30-40 minutes. During the summer, we will increase the frequency of watering daily.
How to grow artichokes
Now that we know when artichokes are planted, let’s see how they are grown. They can be sown directly outdoors from seed. However, we recommend that you do it in April. This month offers the best weather conditions for its growth.
We want to sow seeds every 40-50 cm. When they start to grow, we will remove the weakest stems (pruning). If we had artichoke plants, things would be much easier. We will wait to plant the seedlings in May.
It is convenient to place seedlings at a distance of 90 cm between them. You also need to make sure the soil is well fertilized and has a pH of around 6.5. Artichokes can get bigger. Especially if it rains or there is enough water. If this happens, you’re in luck, but you want to make sure the plant doesn’t split from the weight. Above all, you can use stakes or sticks to support the artichokes, if necessary. Similar to tomato plants.
Artichokes can be harvested for several years. So you want to take care of them. Artichokes can be harvested 3 to 4 months after planting. The first season produces only one flower head on the main stem. In the next few years, more heads will be produced and the factory will be bigger. when the artichoke push about 15cm of stem, we cut it and we will see that it has a beautiful color. It is important not to wait for it to flower, in which case it is no longer edible.
Plagues and diseases
It should be remembered that artichokes were adapted by man from thistles. Therefore, its resistance and resistance to pests and diseases will be much lower than this. Too much moisture can lead to fungal and recessive reproductive diseases.
Aphids are usually found when irrigation is too high and nitrogen fertilizer is too much. Aphids are found on the bases and some leaves of artichokes and can wreak havoc on the plant. Applying neem extract is generally an environmentally friendly solution for aphids.
Verticillium wilt is a common soil fungus that thrives in temperate climates around the world and can persist in soil for decades. The verticillium wilts over the winter in the soil as dormant mycelium or small dormant black structures called microsclerotia, waiting for favorable conditions to return. They penetrate the damaged plant tissues through the roots and multiply. Many common weeds, such as dandelions and weeds, may be a host species of verticillium wilt.
Many plants of high economic value are susceptible, including cotton, tomatoes, potatoes, canola, eggplant, peppers, and ornamentals, as well as other plants in natural plant communities.
Hopefully with this information you can learn more about when artichokes are planted.