Now is a great time to harvest Burdock roots (Arctium lappa) from small plants that will flower and set seed this year. As Burdock is a biennial – forms a leafy baby in year 1 then sends up its large flowering stalk in year 2, sets seed and dies away completely – we have a choice of harvesting the roots at the end of year 1 in Autumn or at the beginning of year 2 in Spring.

These little ones in my garden are in their second year and will flower later in the Summer, so perfect for root harvest now. I will leave at least 3 or 4 plants so that I will have a plentiful supply of seeds to start the cycle all over again.

Burdock beginning the 2nd (and final) year of its life

The roots are long, deeply buried tap roots so you will need a long bladed spade ideally. Push the spade alongside the plant as deeply as you can go and prize the roots up, taking care to get the whole length if possible.

Freshly dug Burdock root

My Burdock root harvest, leaves still on.

When you have enough, cut the leaves off (you can dry these too for later use) and give the roots a very thorough wash.

Freshly dug Burdock roots, washed and ready to chop.

Next, use a sharp knife to cut the pieces into little slices, chop them up a little further into gravel sized pieces and lay out on a tray to dry. They will shrink quite a bit during the drying process. When they are completely dry, put them into a glass jar with a good fitting lid. Label and date the jar before storing in a cool dark place.

Dried Burdock root, ready for storage

For more info on the many medicinal uses of Burdock click here.