Chinese artichoke
7
1Will it grow where I live?
Chinese artichoke is hardy to zone 5 – that covers all of Central Europe and the British Isles, and every USDA zone from 5 upwards.
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Profile
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Habit
- perennial
- Height
- 0.6 m
- Spread
- 1.5 m
- Growth
- fast
- Lifespan
- 5 years
- First yield
- after 1 year
- Hardiness
- zone 5–9
- Shade tolerance
- partial shade
- Soil
- Sand, Silt, Loam
- Soil moisture
- semi-dry – very moist
- pH
- 6 – 7.5
Uses
Edible: The small tubers are harvested after the foliage has died back, in late autumn and winter. According to growers' accounts the flavour takes getting used to for many people and is so far from the familiar that in some gardens the plant carries on only as an ornamental after the experiment. Flatulence after larger quantities is also reported, as it is from other perennial tuber vegetables — starting with small portions is advisable.
Growing
It needs loose, free-draining, evenly moist soil in a sunny to partly shaded position. The tubers sit scattered and partly deep in the root zone, so harvesting means digging over a wide area — a clear disadvantage compared with shallow-rooting tuber vegetables, because it disturbs soil life in the process. Every tuber missed while digging resprouts the following year, so a stand renews itself without any help; on ground intended for another use, that is precisely the problem. Practical accounts describe cultivation as more demanding than expected: choice of site and management decide the yield, and a proportion of trials ended without a usable result.
Frequently asked questions
Chinese artichoke: how big does it get?
Chinese artichoke (Stachys affinis) grows as a perennial and reaches roughly 0.6 m in height when mature, with a spread of about 1.5 m. Growth is fast.
Chinese artichoke: what site does it need?
Chinese artichoke tolerates partial shade. Suitable soils are Sand, Silt, Loam. Soil moisture should be in the range semi-dry – very moist. The pH may lie between 6 and 7.5.
Chinese artichoke: is it hardy?
Chinese artichoke is listed as hardy in zone 5–9 and survives normal winters outdoors there.
Chinese artichoke: will it grow in Central Europe?
Chinese artichoke is hardy to zone 5 – that covers all of Central Europe and the British Isles, and every USDA zone from 5 upwards.
Chinese artichoke: is it poisonous?
No toxicity is recorded for Chinese artichoke. With wild plants, never rely on a database alone — only on a confident identification.
Chinese artichoke: what is it used for?
Rated on a scale up to 10: Edible 7/10, Medicinal 1/10.
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Community experience
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