Cardoon Plein Blanc Inerme - Cynara cardunculus
Cardoon Plein Blanc Inerme - Cynara cardunculus
Cynara cardunculus Gigante di Romagna
Artichoke thistle
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This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty
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We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
Description
'Plein Blanc Inerme' or ‘Smooth Solid’ Cardoon is a naturally self-blanching variety with broad, fleshy ribs. The finely serrated leaves are spineless. Cardoon is a large plant related to the globe artichoke. It has long, serrated, silver-grey leaves and lavender thistle-like flowers. The spined varieties have a stronger flavour than the spineless "inerme" varieties but they are more difficult to harvest. Cardoon can be grown as an ornamental plant or as a vegetable. Make sure to give it enough space - mature cardoons can reach 1.50 to 2 m in height and 1 m in width. When grown as a vegetable, the ribs (i.e. leaf stems) are blanched then fried, braised, or tossed into a salad or a gratin.
Harvest: With the exception of self-blanching varieties, cardoons need to be blanched 3 weeks before harvesting. Blanch the stems as and when required. When deprived of light, the leaves will whiten and become more tender. Tie the leaves together in a loose bunch. Make sure air can circulate. Surround them with thick cardboard, allowing the tops of the leaves to stick out. Make a 25 cm high mound of soil around the base of the plant. After about 3 weeks, uncover the leaves and cut them off at ground level.
Storage: Fresh ribs will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. To prolong harvests throughout winter, pull up the cardoon clumps before the first frosts. Place them in sand in a frost-free, dark place, and keep them watered.
Good to know: Cardoons like rich, fertile soil. Grow them after plants from the Fabaceae family (such as peas or beans) as the soil will be enriched with nitrogen. Cardoons are relatively slow-growing plants and can be grown alongside plants with shorter life cycles such as lettuces or radishes.
Harvest
Plant habit
Foliage
Botanical data
Cynara
cardunculus
Gigante di Romagna
Asteraceae
Artichoke thistle
Western Europe
Biennial
Planting and care
Sowing under cover: cardoons can be sown in trays in cold frames or greenhouses in April-May. Use rich soil, amended with well decomposed compost. Sow the cardoon seeds in seed pockets, a few cm deep. At the 3 leaf stage, thin them out keeping only the most vigorous seedlings. Once they are strong enough to be handled, they can be transplanted to their final location. Make sure to leave about 1 m in all directions between each plant.
Direct sowing: from May until July, when the soil is warmed up. Loosen the soil and amend it with well-decomposed compost. Sow 3-4 seeds in seed pockets, a few cm deep. Water generously. When the seedlings reach the 3 leaf stage, thin out keeping only the most vigorous seedlings. Make sure to leave about 1 m between each plant.
Harvest in September or October, about 5 months after sowing.
Seedlings
Care
Intended location
Planting & care advice
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a (East Coast and Midlands: Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Portlaoise). It will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the north-west (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal, Westport), delay planting by 1 to 2 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 1 to 2 weeks in autumn compared to the dates given, preferably choosing periods without strong winds.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (Wicklow Mountains, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Connemara, Killarney), it is best to plant in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October), avoiding periods of waterlogged soil in winter and strong winds, which pose the main risk to newly planted trees in these areas.
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a, such as the East Coast and Midlands, including Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Portlaoise.
This will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the northwest (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal and Westport), it will be delayed by one to two weeks compared to the given dates, due to stronger Atlantic winds and less spring sunshine.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (the Wicklow Mountains, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Connemara and Killarney), flowering will be delayed by two to three weeks. Flowering mainly occurs between May and July, with the limiting factors being less frost and more of the excessive humidity, strong winds and lack of sunshine that are characteristic of these areas.
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