Horticultural Planning Records Est. data · NOAA 1991–2020 · USDA 2023

Vegetable · Asteraceae

How to Grow Burdock (Gobo)

Cool season Frost hardy Full sun
Days to maturity 100–120
Spacing 4"
Plants / sq ft 1.5
Season Cool

Planting Burdock (Gobo)

Burdock (Gobo) is a cool season vegetable in the Asteraceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.

You can sow Burdock (Gobo) directly into the garden 0–2 weeks before your last frost.

Spacing and Planting Depth

Give Burdock (Gobo) room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.

Spacing in row4 inches
Row spacing24 inches
Plants per sq ft1.5
Planting depth0.5 inches
Sun requirementFull sun

Days to Maturity

Burdock (Gobo) reaches maturity in 100–120 days from sowing.

Burdock (Gobo) is ready to harvest after about 110 days. Harvest before summer heat or, for fall crops, before a hard freeze, to keep quality high.

Conditions and Care

As a cool-season vegetable, Burdock (Gobo) does its best growing in the cooler weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. It is frost hardy and can shrug off light freezes, so it can stay in the ground later into the season than tender crops.

Burdock (Gobo) needs full sun — give it at least six hours of direct light a day for the best growth and flavor. Sow seed about 0.5 inches deep, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.

Burdock (Gobo) belongs to the Asteraceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Burdock (Gobo) is generally grown as a single planting each season rather than succession sown.

Growing Notes

Long taproot; needs deep loose soil.

Plan your Burdock (Gobo) schedule

Burdock (Gobo) is typically grown as a single planting per season rather than succession sown. Plan your full garden →

Data sources
  • UMN Extension