6 steps to successful artichoke growing

Low-fat, low-calorie, high-fibre artichokes are a nutritional and tasty vegetable, particularly when enjoyed fresh from your own garden. Follow these six steps to artichoke-growing success at home.

• Globe artichokes, native to the southern Mediterranean, are related to the thistle. They grow best in a warm climate, and most varieties need at least 100 frost-free days to produce their edible flower buds
• In the North, newer short-season varieties are treated as annuals and raised from seed each spring
• Where winters are mild they are perennial and will give good crops for years

• 'Imperial Star' is the best choice for an annual. Buds are round, thornless, freely produced, and average 10 centimetres (four inches)
• 'Green Globe Improved' does well in the West, will also crop in other regions, but produces lightly the first year
• Purple-tinged 'Violetto' heads are longer and more oval than 'Green Globe'

• Ten weeks before the average last frost, chill the seeds in damp sphagnum moss in the refrigerator for two weeks before sowing
• Pot seedlings individually in small pots, moving them into 12-centimetre (five-inch) pots later

• Prepare the bed by digging in plenty of compost or old manure
• Nurseries sometimes have plants or, where it is warm, dormant root divisions
• Plant potted plants at soil level, root divisions 10 centimetres (four inches) deep
• Existing plants can be propagated by cutting off suckers in spring and planting these individually
• Space 1.2 to 1.8 metres (four to six feet) apart: they form large plants

• Where they will overwinter, globe artichokes should be given a permanent location
• If treated as annuals, they should be fitted into the crop-rotation scheme
• As the weather warms, mulch to keep the soil cool and water during periods of drought
• Cut the flower bud when it is about the size of an orange. Cut just below the bud and then remove the stem down to the top side shoot. These side shoots will produce more buds
• In late fall, once cold stops further development, cut the main stem down to the ground
• Where winters are not too harsh, protect the crown with straw. Remove the protection in early spring or the crowns will rot
• Where winters are long and cold, treat the plants as annuals and plant again the following spring

• Globe artichokes can be attacked and badly deformed by aphids. Spray with insecticidal soap at the first sign
• Slugs and snails also feed on the foliage, and earwigs hide under the flower-bud scales during the day

Artichokes are packed with healthy vitamins and nutrients, and growing them yourself is the best way to enjoy them at their peak of freshness. Follow these six steps and you'll soon be enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of your labour.