Salsify

Salsify: plant 10 cm (3.9 in) apart in the row and 30 cm (12 in) between rows, 9 per square. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	30
Sowing depth	2 cm (0.8 in)
Soil temperature	from 7 °C, best 16–22 °C
Days to emerge	10–20 days
Light while germinating	Needs darkness, cover well
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 7 °C

Pricking out	sown where it grows
Takes transplanting	Badly, sow where it grows
Life cycle	Biennial, harvested in its first year
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	10 L, 30 cm (11.8 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while roots swell
Feeding	Little; at planting
Support and training	None needed

Days to first harvest	120–150 days, from sowing
Ready when	After the first frosts, when it sweetens
Harvest window	All at once, 6–12 weeks
Typical yield	2–3.5 kg per m²
Botanical family	Asteraceae
Watch out for	White rust, slugs and snails

Open the free planner, drop Salsify onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Sow outdoors	Apr–May
Harvest	Oct–Nov

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

Plants of the Asteraceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.