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Sweetheart Artichoke Company
Gourmet artichoke plants grown in Southern California. Shipped by 2-Day mail to your door! Green Globe and Hardy Varieties.

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Artichoke Care

    When you order an artichoke in the mail, there are certain steps to take to ensure better plant acclimation and establishment.

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1. What to do when you first receive your artichoke plants
2. Fertilizing your artichoke plants
3. Problems to expect

4. What a GOOD/BAD potted artichokes looks like
5. Best Growing Conditions
6. How many artichokes will a plant will yield?

7. How far apart should I plant my artichokes?
8. Pest Control & Comments
9. Winter Care

DON'T FREAK OUT!!! In the very worst case, here is what you can do to doctor your artichoke plant...

Below are some problems that you might expect when you order an artichoke in the mail or try to transplant an artichoke plant. I've made the mistakes! So, hopefully you can learn from them. Just remember For the 7-10 Days... THICK MUDDY SOIL AND SHADE.
Do not allow your artichoke to soak in water, but wet soil is the key. I haven't always done that because I get lazy and then I pay the price! ￫ NOTE: March 2010. I have perfected the shipping process this year. All plants will be shipped packed in soil - which lessens the shock factor over shipping bare root. Over 30 plants have been shipped all around the US this year and all artichokes are growing great!


This is a 2nd season romanesco artichoke that I recently transplanted.		New Growth:
I bundled the foliage to lessen the stress on the acclimating leaves. I also staked the plant, although it does not show in the picture. It is planted in good quality potting soil and is in a potting bag instead of a container. I am watering this plant 2 times per day until it adjusts. I made the mistake of being lazy and did not put the plant in the shade. By the next afternoon it was pretty sad looking! If this happens to you, trim off the droopiest and saddest leaves that look like they will not recover. They are the outer leaves that are a darker green. As long as you have the new growth (the small sage colored growth at the base) your plant will survive.		This is new growth at the base of an artichoke plant. Even if you might lose all the old growth on your artichoke, if you still have the new growth then you are doing just fine. 2nd Season artichokes are best for shipping, because the roots produce new shoots. So in worst case if your artichoke doesn't "seem" to survive, it will produce a new shoot. Just give it time. If the root becomes mushy, then you will know that something really went wrong.

Here is a Green Globe This one has not been dug up, but is an excellent example of the new growth below and the older growth above.		Don't be scared! This is a little second season plant that I accidentally broke off right at the root. It only had a few root strands left! So, I stuck it in the mud and it began to grow! It only has a few leaves left, but it is doing great. I'll post more pics next month when it is bigger. Update: I transplanted this little artichoke it into a pot today and placed it in the shade. So far so good!

What "GOOD" Transplanting looks like... This is the same plant as the pic on the left. Notice that the mature leaves near the bottom are drooping. That is normal. They still have some springy life in them. See the droopy leaf on the bottom right? It was like soggy celery. I had to trim that one off. It's ok to trim them off if you want to, because this will direct the plant energy where it is needed in the new sage growth. But, I ONLY do this for plants that I am helping to acclimate to new conditions. Leaf Care for Establish In-Ground Artichokes Even established artichokes have droopy leaves at the bottom of the plant. They help to shade the soil and act like mulch to protect the plant. So, when your artichoke plant is in the ground in your garden... DO NOT TRIM OFF THE BOTTOM DROOPY LEAVES!

Old Growth and New Growth This is another good example of artichoke leaf color comparing older growth and newer growth. The older growth is the darker leaves (top left) and the newer growth is the sage colored leaves (lower right).		What bad potted artichokes look like... NAKED ARTICHOKES!!! And this can happen to you too if you do not shade your plants for the first week! Ack! What's wrong with me? A good thing is that these artichoke plants have been able to acclimate in the sunshine, but I've had to pay the price by cutting them way back. Hopefully I will get a few artichokes off of these by the end of the season.

Today's Transplant I'm busy thinning out my artichoke garden. This is my latest transplant and it looks great! (pic on the right) I didn't bother to trim the leaves or bundle them because it was looking so good. I watered it well and will water it again later today. And yes... it is shaded! The pic on the left is another transplant that has acclimated to its new potting. It is also doing well. I even had one transplant that grew an artichoke, but I shipped the plant to a customer in Texas! UPDATE: After about 10 Days I was able to unbundle my artichoke plants and move them out in the sun. A few lower leaves got limp and soggy looking, like old celery, and that's ok. Just like a house plant, some leaves die back. The plant as a whole perked back up and looks good! I even have an artichoke growing out of one of my plants! How far apart should I plant my artichokes? Artichokes plants love to spread out. For best growth, plan on planting your plants 5-6 feet apart! I'm glad to help! Email your artichoke questions to info@sweetheartartichokes.com. All plant pictures on this web page are from my personal garden!