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How to Grow
How to Grow Chinese Artichokes UK | Planting & Establishment
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Also known as: Crosne · 2 sources cited · Verified
The short answer
Plant
Early March to mid April
Ready in
150–210 days
In the UK, chinese artichokes go in the ground early March to mid April, and are ready to harvest 150–210 days after planting.
Chinese artichokes (Stachys affinis) — Perennial, grown as an annual root crop and lifted through the winter.
Unlike an annual crop, the work here is front-loaded into establishment: get the planting and the site right and the same plants crop for several seasons.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Water: Full sun on an east-, south- or west-facing aspect (RHS); PFAF adds that it will also take light shade. Keep the soil moist through the growing season, because summer moisture is what decides tuber size. Tolerant of acid, neutral and alkaline soils alike.
Plant tubers in spring, points upwards, 4-8cm deep in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil in full sun. PFAF plants out in March. Divide and plant while the tubers are still dormant.
Shoot emergence and leafing
Low mint-family foliage appears and the plant begins running underground. Keep it weeded early; once it is away it covers the ground itself.
Runner and tuber formation
The work happens out of sight, at the ends of the rhizomes and stolons. Steady summer moisture through this stage is what decides tuber size.
Die-back and harvest
Top growth dies down from October. RHS harvests from November as needed. Lift a few plants at a time and leave the rest in the soil, which keeps them in better condition than any shed will.
Undemanding. RHS lists chalk, clay, loam and sand as all suitable; PFAF adds light, medium and heavy soils, preferring well drained. A fertile, humus-rich soil gives the best tubers.
Drainage
Moist but well drained. The plant takes winter wet better than most root crops, which is part of why the tubers can be left in the ground.
Lifecycle
Perennial, grown as an annual root crop and lifted through the winter.
RHS advises planting the tubers in spring; PFAF is more specific, planting out in March. The window recorded here runs from the start of March to mid-April, which covers both. This is a genuinely hardy crop in Britain, rated H7 by the RHS (hardy below -20C), so there is no frost date to plant around and no lifting deadline in autumn: the tubers stay in the ground and are dug through the winter.
When to pick: Wait for the top growth to die back. PFAF gives 5-7 months from planting to tuber development, with harvest from October onwards; RHS says tubers can be harvested from November as they are needed. Lift only what you want at a time, because the tubers shrivel quickly once out of the ground. Expect about 1kg per square metre, and go carefully with the fork: every small tuber left behind will grow next year.
Storage
Leave them in the ground and dig as needed through winter. The tubers tolerate freezing, and out of the soil they lose condition within days.
Chinese Artichoke, a Hardy Tuber You Dig All Winter
RHS harvests from November as needed. The tubers tolerate freezing and shrivel within days of being lifted, so dig only what you want and leave the rest in the ground.
Fetched and read directly. Source for planting out in March and harvesting from October, the 5-7 month tuber development period, yields of about 1kg per square metre, tuber size, spread by rhizomes, and the note that seed is rarely if ever produced on plants in Britain.
Fetched and read directly. Source for the H7 hardiness rating (hardy below -20C), ultimate height and spread, full-sun aspect, soil range, and the instruction to plant tubers in spring and harvest from November as needed.
2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I sow chinese artichokes?
Sow early March to mid April.
How long do chinese artichokes take to grow?
Typically 150–210 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
Plan next season before the problems start
Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.
UK vegetable growing guides · Checked against RHS & Met Office guidance
Every SoilCommander guide is written and maintained by our editorial team for real UK growing conditions, and reviewed against Royal Horticultural Society growing advice and Met Office climate data before publication.
Sketch your exact plot shape, pick your UK crops, and get a spacing-accurate bed layout with companion pairings, a rotation plan and month-by-month sowing dates — every fact sourced from RHS and Garden Organic.
