Topic: Cardoon Anyone??

[blight]

maybe you planted them too close together? mine were planted 2 metres apart.
and giants like that do want hearty meals and a good drink.

[jennym]

Further research has shown that you can eat the crowns as you do with artichokes.

I didn't realise that - they seem VERY hard and prickly though, much tougher looking than globe artichoke - I would think perhaps they need a lot of boiling to soften them? RC are you going to have a go at eating them?

[plot51A]

This is a picture of mine in the summer. They are right at the end of my plot on the boundary. I have read you can eat the flower buds - but don't fancy it! They overwintered last year with no problems here in Wales- will have to see if they survive this current cold spell as I haven't covered them. They died back completely after flowering then produced all new growth so don't see why you couldn't eat that - but then no flowers the following year I suppose  ???

[redimp]

I might do a nothing ventured nothing gained experiment - it will be nearly two years till I can report backnow though.

[Derekthefox]

So you have been dubbed the official A4A cardoon guinea-pig ...  ;D

Derekthefox :D

[djbrenton]

periwinkle, mine looked exactly like yours which I thought was fine till I saw a single specimen I'd given someone else. It was really bushy and looked worth blanching.

[blight]

@djbrenton
as i don´t mind to repeat myself:
periwinkle´s cardoon must have been a two year old plant or even older.
the "really bushy" one was a one year old. it is only those that you can blanch.

[plot51A]

Yes, it was the second year - I was really late planting them and the plants were not all that big - so I left them. However, right now they are both small (heightwise) and bushy - all new growth.

[djbrenton]

@blight
 Both mine and my neighbours bushy one were first year ( grown by me )plants. Mine looked like periwinkles, not all that bushy but with lots of flowers and my neighbours was a lot bushier, also with lots of flowers. Interestingly I'd prepared the ground as for brassica i.e. rock hard and my neighbour had just plonked hers next to her path without a care in the world. I suspect it may have been spacing them too closely as you suggest.