Cynara cardunculus
Cardoon
Common names: Cardy, Spanish artichoke, Vegetable thistle
Photo: Burkhard Mücke · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Cardoon is a close relative of the artichoke. Instead of harvesting the flower bud, you pick the fleshy leaf stalks and central ribs. When bleached and cooked they resemble a mixture of artichoke and black salsify. The imposing, thistle‑like perennial grows to about two metres tall and is also used as an architectural ornamental plant.
Care instructions
Sow from March or directly into the bed after the last frost in a sunny, nutrient‑rich spot. Water generously during dry periods. Bundle and wrap the leaf stalks about four weeks before the autumn harvest to bleach them, which makes them tender and mild. Harvest before the first hard frost.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Calendula and Tagetes next to carrots keep the carrot fly away with their scent.
For example Carrotcelery rootDillParsleyCarrot fennelCoriander and 19 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Sunflowers release substances into the soil that inhibit potato tuber growth, and they also compete for water and nutrients.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 9 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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