How to grow an artichoke in the open field in the country from seeds, home care

In any vegetable 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 to do when you want to try something new? Which culture to choose? The answer to your question is extremely simple - try growing an artichoke. It deserves its own place in your garden. By growing it, you can enjoy a new, sophisticated taste and get a lot of benefits from it. How to grow an artichoke in your country house, and what you need to know for this, we will figure it out below.

Main characteristics

The artichoke is a perennial plant with 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 need to keep in mind the following things:

1. The artichoke does not always bloom in the first year after planting. If you want to taste it, prepare for a painstaking wait.
2. The period of plant growth and development 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 ^about.

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

Note! Artichoke heads do not grow to the required 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 healthy:

• Spanish artichoke;
• prickly artichoke.

In each species, several varieties can be distinguished that have the most favorable growing conditions and ripening periods:

1. Handsome. Got wide popularity among summer residents, and there are reasons for this. The first of these is high yield.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 to 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. Early purple. As you already understood from the name, the variety belongs to the early category. The bush of the plant is low compared to 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 weight of which does not exceed 90 grams.
4. Gourmet. Like Sultan, it belongs to mid-season varieties. The bush is quite high, about 1.5 meters, but the inflorescences do not weigh so much. Average weight is 80 grams.

Combining 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. The "favorites" include:

• parsley;
• onion;
• celery;
• carrot;
• corn.

It is undesirable to plant an artichoke next to:

• horseradish;
• tomato;
• beans.

The harvest will turn out to be plentiful if the site was previously grown:

• cabbage;
• legumes;
• potatoes.

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

What is the time frame for planting an artichoke in the garden

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

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If you want to take a risk and plant seedlings as early as possible, do not forget to cover them with a cloth or plastic wrap 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 over the garden bed, onto which the film will be stretched in the evening, forming a mini-greenhouse.

If you disassemble separately taken 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 mid-June. It is desirable to grow in greenhouse conditions.

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

Growing from seeds in the open field

Two seasons are suitable for planting artichoke seeds:

• second half of autumn;
• end of spring.

To do this, pits 4 centimeters deep are dug in the garden or in the garden. Several seeds are dipped into each hole and covered with earth. A distance of 70 centimeters must be maintained between the pits. Artichokes grown in the south can be planted over long distances - from 90 to 130 centimeters. If you grow the 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 packet of seeds will be enough for planting. It is advisable to limit yourself to one variety, and to understand well the peculiarities of its cultivation. Seed preparation begins in the second half of February, a few weeks before planting. Sowing seedlings is done like this:

1. Plant seeds are placed in water for 11 hours.
2. Water temperature - room temperature.
3. After the seeds are swollen in water, they are removed on damp gauze and wrapped in it. The gauze can be covered with a film on top to prevent moisture evaporation.
4. In this form, the seeds are stored in a warm place for 5 days.
5. After the expiration of the specified period, the package with seeds is removed to 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 containers in which the seeds will be planted. For this, a mixture of humus, sand and sod land is 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 4 centimeters apart. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the hatched 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 hatch above the ground and their first leaf has formed, the seedlings must be removed to a cooler place (temperature - up to 15 ^about) and install lighting next to the pots. This should happen approximately two weeks after planting.

Keep the ground moist. Do not over-dry the soil or over-wet it.

Pick and care for seedlings

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

1. A soil consisting of sand and humus is added to the pots. A recess is made in the center of the container, which is poured over with water.
2. Plants grown in a shared box are watered and harvested one at a time.
3. The main root of each seedling is pinched, after which they are planted in prepared pots.
4. Finished pots are watered and removed to 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 need to be taken out into the open air to harden them. It is advisable to do this in warm, calm weather.

Landing in open ground

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

• for eating;
• for decoration.

If the artichoke is grown for human consumption, planting is carried out in the vegetable garden:

1. The land on the site chosen for planting is 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. Garden 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 the plants closer than 80 centimeters from each other.
6. The beds must be watered and covered with straw.

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

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

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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 heavily blown by the wind and have dry soil.

Due to the structural features 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 planting, it is advisable to choose a place on the south side of the site.

Features of growing in a greenhouse

When growing a plant in a greenhouse, several facts must be considered:

• the artichoke reaches a decent size. Some varieties grow up to 2 meters in height. It follows from this that the greenhouse should be spacious;
• the room temperature should not fall below -2 ^aboutotherwise the plant will die.

Otherwise, the requirements for care in greenhouse conditions do not differ from the usual ones.

The 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 observed:

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

Crop care rules

Special conditions for caring for an artichoke are not required, it is enough to fulfill the following requirements:

• water the bushes on time;
• loosen the soil and remove weeds;
• fertilize the beds.

The rest of the culture does not require additional investment of time, and it is not difficult to grow it.

Watering bushes

Watering is carried out 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 the bush.

Regardless of which mode you choose, pay attention to soil moisture. It should not be excessively dry or damp. 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. This will give the plant access to oxygen, and it will develop harmoniously and correctly. During loosening, weeds are removed. This should be done until the time when the plant is completely strong and does not come into force.

After weeding can be done at will. However, it is not worth starting the plant too much in any case.

Necessary fertilizers and feeding

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

During the growth process, you also add mineral fertilizers, and this continues until the end of the life cycle of the bush. The complex of fertilizers remains the same, and another type of fertilization is added to the 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 harvest, but also protects the crop from pests.

Shelter plants for the winter

To cover a plant outdoors, you will need:

1. Trim 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 soil around the bush with a layer of straw or sawdust. Fallen leaves can be used. The layer should be 30 centimeters thick.
4. After snow falls, you can shovel it from nearby areas by covering the base and roots with a dense snow cap.

Protection against diseases and pests

Diseases affecting the bush are petal rot. Greens are eaten with special pleasure by 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 tip of the bud begins 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.

Do not delay harvesting until the plant blooms, if this happens, the fruits will be too tough and not suitable for eating.

The harvested fruits are stored for no longer than three months at an ambient temperature of 1 ^about... If the storage temperature is higher and does not exceed 12 ^about, the fetus can remain usable for up to 4 weeks.