Knowing When to Harvest Your Artichoke Plant

Planting is one of a few activities which are truly rewarding. Watching your planted artichoke seed grow is very fulfilling. Seeing your artichoke at this stage makes you wonder when the right time to harvest it is.

There are 2 periods when you can harvest artichokes. It depends largely on the season when they are planted. Either they are planted during fall or during spring.

Sometimes perennial artichokes are planted in the fall. If they are planted in the fall, the harvest period might begin as early as spring. The harvest period will go on until the following spring. This will only get interrupted by the frost.

Meanwhile, artichokes can also be planted in spring time. Those that are planted during spring can be harvested in the fall. However, during the first year of the plants life, it is possible that there will be no flower heads to harvest. If there are, the flower heads wouldn’t be large. They will usually be small.

Aside from seasonal harvests, you can judge if the plant is ready to be harvested by examining its physical features. You can look at the size of the buds, the opening of the petals and the color. You will know that the artichoke is ready to be harvested if the buds reach their full size, just before the petals begin to open, and they still have a deep green color.

There are also signs that you can observe to know if you have missed the harvest period. Usually, you have missed the harvest when the artichoke buds begin spreading out. Another sign is when it starts turning purple. At this stage, the artichoke is no longer edible. Although you have missed the harvest, it can still be useful. You can use it as a decorative piece in your garden.

An artichoke plant has the potential to produce many flower stalks. The stalks can produce as much as 5 buds each.