So that's the name of that foul weed. I hate those things!!
If you try to pull it out it kinda melts in your hand, so you can't get it's roots to come out.
I use roundup. It take a couple of times but it will die.
good luck
:)Laura

Uhh...I wouldn't use RoundUp in a location where I plan to plant veggies. Jury is out on safety of chemical agent.

However, I have had burdock (which I think is the weed you are referring to -- gets those nasty two-point pricker seeds that get caught in cats' and dogs' coats, right?) in my garden over the years. I never experienced a 5-foot deep root, but maybe they were younger weeds. So I would try digging them out. Yeah, I know: backbreaking. So gardening should be painless?

This is my further advice: When you get too many lemons, make lemonade. An elderly neighbor once told me that the early Italian settlers in the Hudson Valley mistook burdock for cardoon, a member of the thistle/artichoke family, and cooked the stalks the same way (google for recipes). Also apparently the Japanese cook the roots which are considered a delicacy. I can't remember the Japanese name for them but it also pops up on google.

OMG- I knew I couldn't have been the only one. It looked like some SCIFi (Day of the Triffids) plant. The dog loved rolling around in it though adnd the stench afterwards made us think this plant was skunk cabbage.
I'll have to check if Roundup is ok in veggie gardens but thanks for the advice. Just watch for that 3 year dormancy period b/c it could be BAAAACCCKKKKKK :)!

here's a picture link of that weed.

Here is a link that might be useful: evil weed

Sorry Tomtuxman, but Auntyara's photo link sealed the deal. It is the same ugly, broadleaf dock staring me in the face there as in my yard. I used to get burdock caught in my clothes as a kid, but regular dock (the one I have) doesn't have burrs.
I looked at Roundup and the label said its safe in veggie gardens b/c the chemical is supposed to be sprayed directly on the weed and within 6 hours, is supposed to chemically change into "neutral" unharmful chemicals. But I'll look online for more info. Otherwise, it's the first backbreaking weekend.:) YEAH!

You're right, broadleaf dock not the same as burdock. Thanks for the pic. (My bad!~)