Chiko Burdock (Gobo), Heirloom Seeds

Chiko Burdock (Gobo) — The Hardy Biennial Root Herb From Ancient Chinese Medicine With Carrot-Like Flavor and Year-Round Harvest

Chiko Burdock (Arctium lappa) — known as gobo in Japan — is a hardy biennial herb originating from Europe and Asia with a history spanning continents and millennia. Used in Ancient Chinese medicine for maintaining overall health, aiding fevers, colds, and chronic illness, and a culinary staple across Asian cuisines. Plants grow upright 2–9 feet tall with light-brown, bark-colored slim roots that develop deep in the soil during winter and fully mature by the following spring or fall. Earthy, sweet, tender flavor similar to carrots and parsnips. Edible leaves, stalks, and roots — harvest leaves early, roots at 100+ days. Overwinters in deeply-worked soil. Violet-colored flowers with bristles appear in year 2. 63+ days (leaves) / 100+ days (root).

Why Grow Chiko Burdock?

• Ancient Chinese medicine heritage — used for centuries for overall health, fevers, colds, and chronic illness
• Earthy, sweet, carrot-like flavor — similar to parsnips; tender texture; popular in Asian cuisine and stews
• Whole-plant harvest — edible roots (like carrots/parsnips), leaves (like kale), and stalks (like celery)
• Season-extended biennial — overwinters in deeply-worked soil; roots store well throughout the year
• Medicinal and beverage uses — burdock root tea aids inflammation, digestion, and detox; used as a beer bittering agent; topical salve for skin irritation
• Rich in Vitamin A — supports scalp health and promotes hair growth
• Open-pollinated heirloom — save seed year after year

In the Kitchen

Eat young roots raw or cook like parsnips. Mature roots cook like carrots — delicious in hearty soups, stews, and Asian dishes. Cook leaves as a savory greens dish similar to kale. Cook stalks like celery. Make burdock root tea to aid inflammation, digestion, and detoxification. Also used as a bittering agent in craft beer.

Growing Notes

Sow ¾ inch deep, 2–3 inches apart in rows 2 inches apart. Thin as needed. Requires deeply-worked, loamy, well-drained soil — deep soil preparation is essential for long, straight root development. Full sun to partial shade. Warm temperature preference. Germination takes 7–14 days. Harvest leaves at 63+ days. Roots fully mature at 100+ days — can be left in soil through winter and harvested the following spring or fall. In year 2, plants develop striking violet-colored flowers with bristles before going to seed.

Watch for: Slugs, snails, and aphids.

Packed and shipped by Box Garden Seeds LLC — heirloom seeds grown without GMOs, selected for flavor, resilience, and your garden’s success.