🎨 AI-generated botanical illustration
🥕 Burdock (Gobo)
Arctium lappa
vegetables
biennial
☀️ Sun
full sun to partial shade
💧 Water
moderate
🗺️ Zones
[3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-7.5
🪴 Soil Type
deep, loose, sandy
📏 Spacing
6-8 inches
📐 Height
3-5 ft
⏱️ Maturity
120-150 days (first year root harvest)
🤝 Companions (4)
🤝 Carrot
Different root depths; burdock mines deep minerals for shallower carrots
🤝 Comfrey
Deep-rooted companions mining different soil layers
🤝 Corn
Corn provides light shade; burdock mines deep nutrients
🤝 daikon
Both deep-rooted soil busters; complementary flavors in the kitchen
⚠️ Keep Apart (1)
⚠️ none — but the root grows deep (3+ ft); harvest is a workout
📝 Growing Notes
The vegetable you've probably pulled as a weed. Gobo (Japanese burdock root) is a prized vegetable in Japan — earthy, sweet, with a texture between carrot and parsnip. The deep taproot mines minerals. Harvest first year for eating (second year the root turns woody as the plant flowers and dies).
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
Plot Buddies is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. This does not affect our plant recommendations — we only link to retailers we trust.