At a glance
- Artichoke and cardoon are the same species (Cynara cardunculus), just bred for two goals: one for the bud, the other for the leaf stalk.
- Start indoors from late February · CW 8 to 12 on the windowsill, and only move them outdoors after the Ice Saints in mid May · CW 20.
- Both are perennial and, with a thick winter cover of straw and brushwood, keep well in the DACH lowlands. Winter wet does more harm than cold.
- Harvest artichoke buds while the bracts are still tightly closed; once they open, the buds turn woody.
- Cardoon stalks are blanched for three to four weeks before harvest so they stay tender and mild.
There is hardly a vegetable that looks so little like a kitchen garden crop as these two. Silvery grey leaves a metre tall, buds the size of a fist, and if you miss one, a glowing violet thistle flower that has the bumblebees tumbling over it. Artichoke and cardoon descend botanically from the same thistle, yet the gardener harvests two entirely different things from them. Once you have the knack, you have a perennial in the garden for many years that asks for little work and surprises you afresh every summer.
One thistle, two vegetables
Cynara cardunculus is a Mediterranean thistle, and over the centuries people have drawn two cultivated forms from it. With the artichoke you eat the still-closed flower bud, more precisely the fleshy base and the tender lower ends of the bracts. With the cardoon, by contrast, you leave the buds alone and harvest the thick, fleshy leaf stalks, much like chard or stalk celery, only considerably more robust.
That also explains the different care. The artichoke should flower early and abundantly, so you push it along briskly. The cardoon is mainly meant to build lush leaf mass, so blanching the stalks takes centre stage. Both, however, share site, soil and overwintering, so you can grow them side by side in the same bed.
What both crops have in common
- Full sunAt least six hours of direct sun, ideally against a warm, sheltered south-facing wall.
- Deep soilLoose, humus-rich and fertile, loosened at least 40 to 50 cm deep, because both form a strong taproot.
- Heavy feedersPlenty of ripe compost or well-rotted manure before planting, with horn shavings on top in spring.
- Perennial but frost-sensitiveHardy in the lowlands with winter protection; standing wet in winter is the real danger, not the cold.
Sowing: from late February on the windowsill
You start both indoors, because our summers are rather short for the Mediterranean thistle. The right time is late February to mid March · CW 8 to 12. Sow too early and you have leggy giants on the windowsill by planting-out time; sow too late and your artichoke will not flower at all in its first year.
Pre-soak the seed
Soak the seeds in lukewarm water for a day. This softens the hard coat and the seeds germinate faster.Sow
About 1 to 2 cm deep into loose seed compost, one seed per pot. At 18 to 22 degrees they germinate in around 10 to 14 days.Move somewhere cooler
After germination 15 to 18 degrees in a bright spot is enough, so the seedlings stay stocky and strong.Prick out
Once two to three true leaves have formed, move into larger pots and set them slightly deeper.Harden off
From early May stand them outdoors during the day so the young plants get used to wind and sun.Plant out
After the Ice Saints in mid May · CW 20 into the bed, 80 cm to 1 m apart in every direction.
A small cold stimulus helps the artichoke set buds in its first year. If the hardened-off young plants catch a few cool nights around 5 to 10 degrees in May, many varieties flower in the first summer instead of only in the second. Real frost, though, they must not be exposed to.
Harvest artichokes before they flower
The buds sit at the tips of the shoots, the thickest one at the very top. A bud is ready while its bracts still lie tightly closed and feel slightly squeaky when you press them. As soon as the scales at the tip start to loosen, the base turns woody and fibrous.
Cut with a sharp knife and take a piece of stalk with it. The large terminal bud first, after which the smaller side buds ripen. That way you crop a strong plant over several weeks from July to September.
Cardoon: playing with the leaf stalks
With the cardoon everything revolves around the leaf stalks, and they need two things: plenty of room and a blanching step at the end. Unblanched, the stalks taste bitter and are tough; deprived of light, by contrast, they break down their bitter compounds, turn pale and tender, and taste like a cross between an artichoke heart and celery.
Plant generously, at least 100 by 75 cm, because a mature plant spreads out like a small shrub. Over the summer you supply it with water and compost so it pushes plenty of leaf mass. Blanching then begins in early autumn, once the plant has reached its full size.
How to blanch the stalks
About three to four weeks before the planned harvest, usually in September, on a dry day you tie the leaves loosely together and wrap the whole plant with cardboard, jute or corrugated board up to just below the leaf tips. It is important that it stays airy and no rainwater runs in, otherwise the heart rots.
After three to four weeks the enclosed stalks are pale and mild. Harvest runs from October into November, before hard frost arrives. A dry, sunny autumn works in your favour here.
The artichoke you harvest against the flower, the cardoon you train for leaf mass. The same thistle, two crafts.
Old gardener's rule
Overwintering: winter protection is what counts
This is where, in the DACH region, the wheat is separated from the chaff. Both species tolerate short frosts down to about minus 8 degrees when the rootstock is protected, but the real danger is not the cold, it is wet feet in winter. A rootstock that stands in cold mud for weeks rots from below.
Cut back
After the first stronger frost, shorten the leaves to a hand's width above the ground.Cover dry
Pack the rootstock thickly with straw, dry leaves or brushwood, a good 20 to 30 cm high.Keep it airy
Brushwood or an airy fleece on top. No dense film, under which standing wet and mould build up.Air it in spring
From early spring, take the cover off step by step as soon as no hard, lasting frost threatens.
On heavy, waterlogged soils or in exposed sites, container culture is the safest way. In winter, place the pot against a sheltered house wall and, during hard, lasting frost, bring it into a bright, cool but frost-free spot such as a garage or a cold cellar.
Propagating: division gives true-to-type plants
Seed-raised plants often turn out variable, sometimes with thicker, sometimes with thinner buds. If you want to keep a proven plant, propagate by division in early spring. Dig out a strong, several-year-old clump generously, use a sharp knife to separate basal side shoots that already have their own roots, and set them straight into their new spot.
While doing so, shorten the foliage by about a third to reduce transpiration, and water the divisions in well. These offsets often crop in their first year, whereas seed-raised artichokes sometimes only flower in the second summer. Every four to five years you should divide older clumps anyway, as it keeps them vigorous.
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus
- Familie
- Daisy family (Asteraceae)
- Standort
- Full sun, sheltered, deep soil
- Saison
- Sowing CW 8 to 12 · Harvest July to September
- Wasserbedarf
- Moderate, even, no standing wet
- Frosthärte
- To about -8 °C with winter protection
The most common mistakes and how to avoid them
Most disappointments have one of three causes. First, sowing too late: start only in April and your artichoke will not set a bud in its first year. Second, overwintering too wet, which costs more plants than any frost. And third, harvesting too late, once the bud is already opening and has turned woody.
Black aphids like to settle on the underside of the leaves, especially on soft shoots. Check regularly and, if infested, hose them off early with a hard jet of water or introduce beneficial insects. If the infestation goes unnoticed, the young buds become deformed and the plant weakens.
Once you have these three points under control, you get a rewarding, long-lived perennial. It sits well alongside other perennial crops such as rhubarb or asparagus, with which it shares the claim to a permanent, undisturbed spot.
Common questions about artichoke and cardoon
Are artichoke and cardoon the same plant?
When do you start artichokes indoors?
Are artichokes winter-hardy?
How do I tell an artichoke is ready to harvest?
Why do you have to blanch cardoon?
Spotted a mistake?
