Seed Artichoke. We Grow Ourselves

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

In the garden of a modern summer resident, you can increasingly find such an exotic vegetable plant as an artichoke. This is a very ancient culture that used to be cultivated as an ornamental plant

In the garden of a modern summer resident, you can increasingly find such an exotic vegetable plant as an artichoke. This is a very ancient culture that used to be cultivated as an ornamental plant. Currently, the artichoke is used as food for a gourmet table. The fleshy receptacle of unripe inflorescences and its other juicy parts are edible. In addition, the artichoke is valuable as an oilseed, fodder and medicinal plant.

Growing artichokes is gaining popularity among Russian gardeners. Although many at the same time think that artichokes are difficult in agricultural technology. But this is not so, growing a healthy and beautiful artichoke plant is no more difficult than growing a cucumber. Vegetable growers successfully grow this perennial crop, so similar in appearance to thistle.

In Siberia, artichokes often cannot stand the winter. At a temperature of -1 degrees, growth points freeze, therefore, there will be no harvest. Therefore, the correct way to grow artichokes in our climate is to use seedlings from seeds. In warm countries, where this plant comes from, the artichoke grows like a perennial, although if you work hard in Siberia, you can get a crop from one plant for several years in a row.

We grow seedlings

There is nothing difficult about growing quality artichoke seedlings. It is important to remember that the picking of young shoots must be done in a large container, because before planting in the ground, the plant reaches a large size. This plant has an impressive height of up to two meters and powerful thorny leaves.

Vernalization

In order for the artichoke to bear fruit in the first year, vernalization must be carried out with its seeds. Keep in mind that using this method, there is a high probability that the culture will die during the period of winter frosts, because it is weakened by early flowering and has not matured. Artichoke seeds exposed to low temperatures give a germination rate of 70%, while you get disposable fruits. But if you want everything at once, then you can resort to this method.

How to carry out vernalization correctly?

An agrotechnical method of exposing seeds to a low temperature is carried out in early February for a month. Take a planting box, fill it with sand and moisten it. Next, place the artichoke seeds on the wet sand and wait for the seeds to hatch for 5 to 10 days. At the same time, keep an eye on the room temperature, it should be 22 - 25 degrees, keep the sand moist. Place the sprouted seeds in the refrigerator on a shelf where the temperature is 0 degrees. Keep the seeds under these conditions for 14 days. When the tips of the sprouted roots have darkened, the seeds are ready for sowing /

We sow the seeds

Sprouted artichoke seeds are sown in a container in early March filled with ordinary earth, humus and sand in equal proportions. For watering, it is best to use a spray bottle to avoid damaging the seeds by eroding the soil. When one or two true leaves appear, the plant dives into separate pots. It is best to take peat cups with a volume of 0.5 liters. When diving a young shoot, pinch off the root tip, which will allow a powerful root system to develop.

Seedling care

Caring for artichoke seedlings consists in direct watering and feeding, which is also necessary for other plants. Feed the mullein two weeks after the pick, observing the proportions of 1 part mullein and 10 parts of water. Carry out the second feeding with any complex fertilizer 4 weeks after transplanting.

We harden the seedlings

In early May, start bringing the seedlings out to fresh air for hardening. The initial stay of the seedlings outdoors is 10 minutes, gradually increase the period of exposure to the air, adding 3-5 minutes every day. The plant is transplanted to a permanent place in mid-May.

The most famous varieties of artichokes in Russia are Roman violet, Maikop low, Green ball.

Artichoke soil

Due to the weed-like appearance of the artichoke, it may be thought that it is not picky about the soil. But this is far from the case, in order to get a decent harvest, choose fertile soils for this crop, prepared in the fall. Start creating a garden bed by digging a trench, the dimensions of which are 60 cm deep and a meter wide. Fill the trench with drainage, and put an earthen mixture on top (ordinary earth + peat + humus + sand).

As you can see, growing artichoke seedlings from seed will not be difficult even for novice gardeners.