How to grow Globe Artichoke in Australia

Where to plant

Globe artichokes need a warm, sunny spot with deep, fertile, free-draining soil and plenty of room, as each plant grows to about a metre across. They love sandy soil but grow in most soils that do not stay waterlogged; wet soil in winter rots the crown. Dig in plenty of compost or manure before planting, as this is a long-lived plant.

Globe artichoke is a cultivated form of the same species as artichoke thistle, or wild cardoon, which is a declared weed of pastures and roadsides. It is a restricted weed in New South Wales that must not be sold or distributed, and is declared in South Australia, Tasmania and parts of Victoria. Grow named globe artichoke plants, and if you live near farmland or bushland, cut off any flowers before they set their fluffy seed.

• Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney: ideal. Plant offsets or seedlings from March to September.
• South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers: plant from March to May or in August and September. Plants crop through winter and spring but may be short lived in humid summers.
• Canberra: plant from August to October. Frost kills the tops; mulch the crowns heavily and they resprout in spring.
• Hobart: plant from September to November. A reliable perennial; mulch the crowns after the autumn cut back.
• North Queensland and Darwin: our calendar marks these as unsuitable, as artichokes need cool winters.

Choosing a variety

Plants raised from seed vary a lot, and many are spiny or give poor buds, so the most reliable start is an offset from a good plant or a named variety. Green Globe types are the common green artichoke. Purple-budded varieties such as Violetta di Romagna are ornamental as well as good to eat.

How to plant

1. Prepare the bed with compost or well-rotted manure, and on heavy soil build a raised bed or mound.
2. To take an offset, push a spade down between the main plant and a side shoot, rather than snapping it off, and lever it free with some roots attached.
3. Trim off the old, large leaves, leaving the small ones in the centre, and cut away any woody roots.
4. Plant the offset at the same depth it was growing, about 1 m from other plants, and water it in well.
5. Keep it watered until new leaves appear.

Watering and feeding

Water deeply and regularly while the buds are forming. Hungry, thirsty plants give small, tough buds. Mulch thickly, but keep mulch off the crown in wet winters.

Feed generously. Gardening Australia recommends sheep manure and potash: the potash helps the plants flower and bud up, and the buds are the part you eat. Add compost or manure each autumn or late winter as growth starts.

Pruning and care through the year

• After the last buds are picked, cut each flowering stem back to the base. In cold areas, cut the whole plant back in autumn and cover the crown with a thick layer of mulch.
• Divide clumps every four or five years, replanting the strongest young offsets to keep plants vigorous.
• Let one or two buds open if you like: the big purple thistle flowers are loved by bees. Cut them off before they set seed.

Harvesting

Pick the buds while they are still tight, round globes, before the scales start to open or change colour. Cut the stem a few centimetres below the bud with sharp secateurs. The large central bud is ready first, then smaller side buds follow. Harvest regularly and the plant keeps producing, and a mature plant can give up to about 12 buds in a season.

Gardening Australia's tip is to cut the stem back by about half after picking, which promotes new growth and more artichokes next season.

Growing in pots

Globe artichokes are big plants and are best in the ground. If you must use a pot, choose one at least 50 cm wide and deep, with rich potting mix, and water and feed often.

Using it

Small buds can be roasted or sautéed whole. Larger buds are steamed or boiled, then the fleshy base of each scale and the heart are eaten with a dressing. Remove the hairy choke in the centre before eating the heart.

Propagation and saving seed

The easiest way to get more plants is from offsets, the side shoots that grow around the base of an established plant. Gardening Australia shows them dug out with a spade and replanted; they usually produce within a year. Seed works but gives variable, often spiny plants, so keep only the best.