How to grow an artichoke in the country: planting from seeds and home care

In any garden you can see a standard set of vegetables that everyone grows. Cucumber, tomato, cabbage, potatoes and carrots - all this is well known and has been eaten more than once. But what do you do when you want to try something new? What culture to choose? The answer to your question is extremely simple - try growing an artichoke. He deserves a separate place in your garden. By growing it, you can enjoy a new, refined taste and get a lot of benefits from it. How to grow an artichoke in your dacha, and what you need to know for this, we will understand below.

Key Features

Artichoke is a perennial plant that has wide, large leaves and a straight stem. More than 140 species of this plant grow around the world, but only 40 varieties are used for food. Summer residents who want to grow it on their site should keep the following things in mind:

1. The artichoke does not always bloom in the first year after planting. If you want to taste it, get ready for a painstaking wait.
2. The period of growth and development of a plant is at least 180 days. Because of this, in the central and northern regions of the country, it is grown exclusively using seedlings.
3. The plant loves warmth, and for normal development, the ambient temperature should be 15-25 ^o.

The plant usually propagates with the help of seeds, which can be purchased at any specialized store. In addition to propagation by seeds, the method of dividing the mother plant can be used, which shows good results.

Pay attention! Artichoke heads do not grow to the desired size at the same time, and this must be taken into account when harvesting.

Artichoke varieties

As noted above, the artichoke has many varieties, of which no more than 40 are edible. However, of these 40 varieties, about 10 are most often used in cooking. Vegetable growers around the world consider only two types to be the most delicious and he althy :

• Spanish artichoke;
• thorny artichoke.

In each species, there are several varieties that have the most favorable growing conditions and ripening terms:

1. Handsome. It has gained wide popularity among summer residents, and there are reasons for that. The first one is high productivity. This is not surprising, because the plant begins to bear fruit in the first year after planting.The second reason lies in the relative ease of cultivation, compared with other varieties. The artichoke bush of the Krasavets variety reaches a height of about 1 meter. Up to 12 inflorescences are formed on it, which reach a mass of 110 grams.
2. Purple early. As you already understood from the name, the variety belongs to the category of early. The bush of the plant is low, compared with other crops, and grows no higher than 70 centimeters. No more than a dozen inflorescences are formed on it, the mass of which fluctuates around 100 grams.
3. Sultan. The largest variety, the bush of which reaches up to 2 meters in height. The plant is mid-season, and has 15 inflorescences, the mass of which does not exceed 90 grams.
4. Gourmet. Like the Sultan, it belongs to mid-season varieties. The bush is quite tall, about 1.5 meters, but the inflorescences do not weigh that much. The average weight is 80 grams.

Combination of culture with other plants

Not every summer resident knows that the yield of a particular crop depends not only on caring for it, but also on its environment. When growing an artichoke, this fact should be taken into account, because it has both “favorites” and undesirable neighbors. Favorites include:

• parsley;
• bow;
• celery;
• carrot;
• corn.

It is undesirable to plant an artichoke next to:

• fuck;
• tomatoes;
• beans.

The harvest will be plentiful if it was previously grown on the site:

• cabbage;
• legumes;
• potatoes.

Adhering to these recommendations, you can grow a bountiful harvest that will decorate any table.

When can you plant an artichoke in the beds

Planting plants in the beds largely depends on the climatic conditions of the region. In places with a warm climate, the plant can be planted on beds in the second half of May. If your region does not boast a warm climate, it is better to postpone the planting time for the summer. In this case, do not forget to work with seedlings, taking them to fresh air. This will allow the shoots to harden and take root better in the summer cottage.

If you want to take a chance and plant seedlings as early as possible - do not forget to cover it with a cloth or film at night. This is necessary so that the plants do not die from night frosts. A good option would be to install small metal arcs above the bed, on which the film will be stretched in the evening, forming a mini-greenhouse.

If you analyze individual regions, then the artichoke can be planted:

• in the Moscow region - mid-May, early June;
• in Central Russia - in the second half of May;
• in the Urals - early-mid June, preferably in a greenhouse;
• in Siberia - in the middle of June. It is desirable to grow in greenhouse conditions.

Important! When growing artichokes in a greenhouse, keep in mind that the plant takes up a lot of space and the greenhouse must be spacious and tall.

Growing from seed outdoors

Two seasons are suitable for planting artichoke seeds:

• second half of autumn;
• end of spring.

To do this, 4 cm deep holes are dug in the garden or in the garden. A few seeds are dipped into each hole and covered with earth.Between the pits you need to maintain a distance of 70 centimeters. Artichokes grown in the south can be planted over long distances - from 90 to 130 centimeters. If you grow a crop in this way, then you will be able to taste the fruits only in the second year after planting.

Sowing seedlings

For summer residents growing this crop for the first time, one bag of seeds is enough for planting. It is advisable to limit yourself to one variety, and it is good to understand the features of its cultivation. Seed preparation begins in the second half of February, a few weeks before planting. Sowing seedlings is done like this:

1. The seeds of the plant are placed in water for 11 hours.
2. Water temperature - room temperature.
3. After the seeds swell in water, they are removed on wet gauze and wrapped in it. From above the gauze can be covered with a film to prevent moisture evaporation.
4. In this form, the seeds are stored in a warm place for 5 days.
5. After the specified period, the bundle with seeds is removed in the refrigerator. This should be done if you want to get a crop in the first year after planting.
6. Next, you need to prepare the containers in which the seeds will be planted. For this, a mixture of humus, sand and soddy soil is being prepared.
7. In prepared containers filled with soil, we make small grooves. The depth of the grooves should not exceed 4 centimeters.
8. Seeds are planted at intervals of 4 centimeters from each other. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the sprouted sprouts.
9. A centimeter layer of soil is applied over the seeds, which is slightly moistened with a spray bottle.

• As soon as the sprouts have hatched above the ground and the first leaf has formed, the seedlings need to be removed to a cooler place (temperature - up to 15 ^{о) and a backlight should be installed next to the pots. This should happen approximately two weeks after planting.}

Make sure the ground is moderately damp. Do not overdry the soil or over-moisten it.

Picking and seedling care

Plant picking is done in cases where the seedlings were grown in one container. Pots with a volume of 0.5 liters are perfect for picking. Picking is performed as follows:

1. Soil consisting of sand and humus is added to the pots. A depression is made in the center of the container, which is poured with water.
2. Plants grown in a common box are watered and removed one at a time.
3. The main root of each seedling is pinched, after which they are planted in prepared pots.
4. The finished pots are watered and put away in a warm place.
5. 14 days after the plants are planted in separate pots, they are fertilized with mullein, which is diluted in liquid. The proportion is 1 to 10.
6. After that, we wait another 14 days and add a complex of mineral fertilizers to the soil.

Plants should be taken outdoors to harden them. It is advisable to do this in warm, calm weather.

Landing in open ground

There are two ways to grow seedlings in open ground, depending on the purpose for which the artichoke is planted:

• for eating;
• for decoration.

If the artichoke is grown for human consumption, it is planted in the garden:

1. The land in the area selected for planting is being dug up and fertilized.
2. Humus, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are used as fertilizers. Humus must be added at the rate of 10 kilograms per 1 square meter.
3. The beds are made, the height of which is at least 20 centimeters.
4. The distance between the beds is 1 meter.
5. It is advisable not to plant plants closer than 80 centimeters from each other.
6. The beds need to be watered and covered with straw.

If the plant is grown for beauty, for example, in the garden, the planting algorithm changes slightly:

1. A place is chosen that will be visible and easy to get close to.
2. A deep hole is dug at the planting site, which is filled with compost and earth, mixed with turf.
3. The diameter of the pit is 75 centimeters.
4. The depth of the pit is 50 centimeters.
5. The distance between the pits is at least 1.5 meters.
6. The plant is planted in a hole in a special peat pot.
7. The pit is watered and covered with a layer of straw.

The landing site in both cases should have good access to the sun, which should not be blocked by any other objects. The site should not be strongly blown by the wind and have dry soil.

Due to the structure of the root system, which is well developed in the artichoke, with excessive soil moisture, the roots will rot. This will lead to the death of the plant. For landing, it is desirable to choose a place on the south side of the site.

Features of growing in a greenhouse

There are a few things to keep in mind when growing a plant in a greenhouse:

• artichoke reaches a decent size. Some varieties grow up to 2 meters in height. It follows that the greenhouse should be spacious;
• The indoor temperature must not fall below -2 ^{o otherwise the plant will die.}

Otherwise, the requirements for care in greenhouse conditions are the same as usual.

Specifics of growing at home

Only artichoke seedlings can be grown at home. The plant itself, due to its size, is extremely difficult to grow in an apartment. To grow seedlings, the following requirements must be met:

1. Water the seeds well.
2. Before the appearance of the first leaf, the temperature in the room with seedlings should be at +25 ^{o, after the temperature drops to 12 degrees.}
3. A few days before planting, the seedlings are taken out into the fresh air, thereby hardening them.

Rules for crop care

Special conditions for the care of artichokes are not required, it is enough to fulfill the following requirements:

• water the bushes on time;
• loosening the soil and removing weeds;
• fertilize the beds.

Otherwise, the crop does not require additional time and is not difficult to grow.

Water bushes

Watering is done in the afternoon. You can stick to one of the following schedules:

• water the bush every other day with a minimum amount of water;
• water once every two weeks, spending up to 5 liters of liquid on a bush.

No matter which mode you choose, pay attention to soil moisture. It should not be excessively dry or wet. Otherwise, it will affect the growth of the plant and the quality of the crop.

Loosening the soil and removing weeds

It is best to loosen the soil the next day after watering.So you open the plant access to oxygen, and it will develop harmoniously and correctly. During loosening, weeds are removed. This must be done until the plant is fully strengthened and enters into force.

After weeding can be carried out at will. However, you should not start the plant too much in any case.

Necessary fertilizers and top dressings

Feeding the bush and fertilizing the soil has a positive effect on the plant, and is necessary not only during the cultivation of seedlings.

During the growth process, you also add mineral fertilizers, and this continues until the end of the bush's life cycle. The complex of fertilizers remains the same, and another type of top dressing is added to an adult plant, which is called "foliar". It is carried out by spraying the bush with a nutrient solution from the following components:

• wood ash - 1 teaspoon;
• superphosphate - 1 teaspoon;
• potassium chloride - 3 teaspoons.

Such bait not only has a positive effect on the crop, but also protects the crop from pests.

Shelter plants for the winter

To shelter a plant in the open field you will need:

1. Cut off the stems of the plant, leaving only 30 centimeters from the ground to the tip.
2. Cover the bush with burlap or other fabric, such as a composite sheet.
3. Sprinkle the ground around the bush with a layer of straw or sawdust. You can use fallen leaves. The layer should be 30 centimeters thick.
4. After snow falls, you can shovel it from nearby areas, covering the base and roots with a dense cap of snow.

Protection from diseases and pests

Diseases that affect the bush are petal rot. Greens with particular pleasure eat aphids of various species and slugs. To combat them, the bush is treated with special preparations. This should be done in the spring.

Harvesting and preservation

You need to harvest according to the following algorithm:

1. Once the top of the bud starts to open, you can harvest the fruit to eat.
2. It is advisable to leave no more than 3 peduncles on the bush, on which 4 baskets will be located.
3. You need to cut the artichoke in such a way as to capture some part of the peduncle.

Don't delay harvesting until the plant blooms, if this happens, the fruits will be too hard and not suitable for eating.

Harvested fruits are stored no longer than three months at an ambient temperature of 1 ^о. If the storage temperature is higher, and does not exceed 12 ^{o, the fruit can remain usable for up to 4 weeks.}

Recommended