PlantSowGrow
How to grow Salsify
Tragopogon porrifolius
An old-fashioned root with a delicate, oyster-like flavour — scrub, boil and serve with butter. The young shoots are edible in spring too.
At a glance: Sow early April to mid May, harvest from mid August.
When to sow, plant and harvest
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Salsify: what it needs
- Light
- Full sun · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Water regularly in dry weather
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained soil
- Spacing
- 15 cm, rows 30 cm apart
- In pots
- Best in the ground
- Feeding
- A general feed before sowing or planting
- Harvest
- About 150 days from sowing
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 3–9
- Difficulty
- Easy
Step by step
- Early April – mid May · 2 weeks before the last spring frost
Sow Seeds Outdoors
Sow thinly in drills where they are to grow. Sow fresh seed 1 cm deep in deep, stone-free soil.
- 10–21 days after “Sow Seeds Outdoors” · Mid April – late April
Check Germination
Seedlings should appear in 10–21 days. If sown outdoors, thin to 15 cm, rows 30 cm apart apart when big enough to handle.
- 21–35 days after “Check Germination” · Early May – mid May
Weed and Water
Hoe off weeds between rows and water in dry spells — even moisture gives better crops.
- 129–150 days after “Check Germination” · Mid August – early September
Start Harvesting
Dig carefully from October — the roots snap easily. They keep in the ground all winter.
- 120–150 days after “Start Harvesting” · Mid December – mid January
Finish and Clear
Clear the remains to the compost heap once cropping ends.
