Hoeing: Tilling the soil for artichokes

Now is the time of year when we set aside our summer specialities and devote ourselves with vigour to artichokes, a typical winter agricultural product.

In the last few days, we have been hoeing the soil, a special method of working the soil that allows the roots of the plant, which have suffered from drought during the summer months, to breathe. But let's see in detail what it is all about!

Thanks to weeding, the plants can breathe too!

In a previous article we explained how to remove weeds from artichokes using the weeding technique. Hoeing, on the other hand, is a different kind of work. First of all, it is done manually, using a hoe or rake. The aim is not only to remove the weeds that have grown up around it, but also to form small depressions around the roots of the plant so that they can be well watered and oxygenated. This is, in fact, a process that takes place to try to remedy the excessive dryness of the soil, hardened by the lack of water and therefore difficult to work.

In this video you can see in detail how weeding is done: with the hoe we move the soil around the plant. The soil is very hard because of the drought, but with this movement we promote greater water permeability.

With hoeing, we basically move a light layer of soil, the top layer, taking care not to hit the roots with the hoe. In this way, with just one technique we ensure:

• Good aeration of the soil
• Greater water penetration
• Elimination of weeds

The artichoke harvest is still a long way off, but at the Le Girandole farm we are not wasting any time: this winter we hope to bring our Albenga spiny artichokes to your tables!