Flower Power

The burdock are starting to bloom. Growing up, I used to eat burdock root (gobo) often. I was well acquainted with what the root looked liked, but I had no idea what the plant looked like. I’ve been growing it for a number of years now and it is one of my favorite vegetables. It can be invasive so if you don’t want it to take over your yard, plant and harvest carefully.

Usually, you harvest the plant when the root has become ¾ to an inch thick. The plant itself will be two to three feet tall. If you don’t harvest the plant and let it grow, it will grow six to eight feet high and bloom with fascinating flowers. The flower buds have hundreds of barbs. When the flowers have finished blooming and the seeds are formed, the barbs dry out and will grab to anything that walks by. Let one plant bloom and gather the seeds. You’ll have plenty of seeds for yourself and all your friends.

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BurdockFlowerB
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