Artichoke Seeds

Artichoke Seeds for Planting: Grow Your Own Globe Artichokes

Growing artichokes is a showpiece project. The plants are large and silvery green with deeply cut leaves, they look striking in a vegetable garden or flower border, and each one produces tender, meaty buds that cost a lot at the store. Starting artichoke seeds at home is far cheaper than buying plants, and it opens up varieties you won't find at most nurseries. Our collection of artichoke seeds includes a classic heirloom and a type selected to produce in its first year, so you can choose the one that fits your climate and how soon you want a harvest.

Artichoke Seeds for Sale: Green Globe and Tavor

When you browse artichoke seeds for sale, Green Globe is the traditional pick. It's an open-pollinated heirloom with deep green buds tinged with purple, and it has long been a standard for flavor and tenderness. Tavor is also open-pollinated and was selected to flower dependably in its first year, which suits gardeners in cooler regions who don't want to wait two seasons. It's a hardy, productive plant that sets plenty of meaty buds. Growing both side by side is an easy way to see which does better in your soil and climate.

Growing Artichoke from Seed: Give Seedlings a Cold Spell

Artichokes naturally take two years to bloom, but you can get buds in the first year by making seedlings think winter has passed. Start artichoke from seed indoors about eight to ten weeks before your last frost, sowing seeds a quarter inch deep in warm, moist seed-starting mix. Sprouts usually appear within one to three weeks. Once the seedlings have a few true leaves, harden them off and set them outside during a cool stretch so they get roughly ten to twelve days of temperatures below 50°F. That cold exposure is what triggers flower buds later in the season, although plants should still be protected from hard frost. After the last frost has passed, transplant into full sun and rich, well-drained soil.

The Seedtime planting calendar works out your indoor sowing and transplant dates from your frost dates, and the layout planner helps you leave enough room for these big plants.

Buy Artichoke Seeds with One Flat Shipping Rate

When you order artichoke seeds here, you can combine packets from different suppliers in one order and pay one flat shipping rate rather than a separate shipping charge for each supplier. Seedtime members also get discounts on seed packets, so if you're planning a larger garden, compare Seedtime's plans to see what membership includes.