Cardoon
Cynara cardunculus
Plant out 2 weeks after your last spring frost. Space plants 24 in (61 cm) apart.
Photo: Petro Stelte, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
When to plant
Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.
Optimal Transplant
From a plantRecommended from a plant- Plant out2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 110 days after planting out
Optimal Indoor Start
From seedRecommended from seed- Start indoors5 weeks before your last spring frost
- Begin hardening off1 week after your last spring frost
- Plant out2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 110 days after planting out
Growing cardoon
- Spacing in the row
- 24 in (61 cm)
- Between rows
- 48 in (122 cm)
- Planting depth
- 1/4 inch
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Soil
- Deep, very fertile, well-drained soil, pH 6.0-7.0
- Germination
- 10-21 days at 70-80°F
- Harvest season
- Fall
- Mature height
- 3-5 ft
- Life cycle
- Perennial
Sow 1/4 inch deep indoors 6-8 weeks before transplanting; set out after frost danger passes.
Watering. Water evenly through the season (about 10-12 inches in total); let the surface dry between waterings. Heat and drought stress make the stalks bitter.
Feeding
- Seedlings
- Work aged compost or rotted manure into the bed before planting.
- Growing
- Apply a complete fertilizer (about 1/2-1 cup organic per plant) early in the season, while plants are establishing.
- How often
- At planting, then once at midseason.
- Note
- Side-dress with compost at midseason; nitrogen goes on early, before the plant is wrapped for blanching.
Your cardoon, planned to the day.
Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.