Cardoon is a tender columnar perennial treated as an annual with attractive but prickly deep-lobed grey-green foliage. Sturdy edible stalks sport large flowerheads that are also edible if unopened and bloom to thistle-like purple flowers. Best if grown in rich, consistently moist well-drained loamy soils. To harvest the stalks, wrap the inedible leaves around the stalks and blanched when stems reach 3′, and the cut to the ground 4-6 weeks later.
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Type: |
Annual |
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Height: |
3′ – 6′ |
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Spread: |
2’ – 3′ |
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Spacing: |
1.5′ |
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USDA Hardiness Zone: |
7 – 10 |
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Culture: |
Full Sun |
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Bloom Color: |
Purple |
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Season of Interest: |
Fall, Year-Round |
