Best time to plant artichokes in Melbourne
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus
Sow artichokes in Melbourne from September to November.
Grown for its immature flower heads, the artichoke is a food variety of thistle. The parts eaten are the fleshy bases of the bracts and the heart beneath them, taken before the buds open. Left to bloom, the heads turn coarse, and the plant stands up to 2 m tall with silvery, deeply cut leaves.
When to sow in Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC is in the cool zone. Its months for artichokes apply here without a frost adjustment.
Matches local guides.
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Frost in Melbourne
Frost usually arrives in Melbourne around mid June and finishes by late August. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late May or as late as late September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.
From the average of its 2 Bureau of Meteorology stations, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.
On a shared plot: needs a lot of room
A large plant that holds its spot for years. Ask your coordinator first.
Growing details
- How to start
- Raise seedlings, then transplant
- Sowing depth
- 10mm
- Plant spacing
- 120cm
- Row spacing
- 90cm
- Height
- 90cm
- Germination
- 14-21 days at 21-26°C
- Time to harvest
- 300-400 days
- Frost
- Hardy, takes a light frost
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- perennial
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.