How does saffron grow

Finally, they must be gently dried. It takes blossoms to make a single gram of market-ready saffron, and tens of thousands to make an ounce. That's why most saffron comes from Spain and Iran, countries where labor costs are lower than in North America. Growing saffron in commercial quantities as a primary crop is seriously challenging, but you may be able to make it work as part of a mixed farming operation.

One obvious strategy for coping with the labor cost issue is to outsource the growing to someone in a lower-wage country. That's not always practical, especially if you're looking to add another income stream to your existing family farm.

The most pragmatic way to keep your costs down is by turning the relatively late harvest period to your advantage. If you need to keep a certain number of harvest workers on hand in October and early November for your other crops, you may well be able to juggle your schedule to make hands available for the saffron in between other, less time-sensitive crops.

Effectively, your everyday, low-cost crops will foot part of the bill for your exotic saffron harvest, bringing down the cost to a point where you can rely on canny marketing to give you a profitable product.

You won't have a lot of domestic competition for your product. Pull in garage. Any light. Planted oct 3. I would put the crate in a protected area that stays just above freezing. An unheated garage or root cellar would be best.

Water every six weeks and move back outdoors in the spring. After reading your directions I think I would like to try to do this this spring and have them ready for the fall. I thank you for the interesting tips and I hope it works out for me. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar. How to grow saffron crocus The fall-blooming, purple-flowered saffron crocus grows from a bulb-like structure called a corm. The corms are planted in the spring or early fall. Saffron crocus smells a little like vanilla and spice, and the dried stigmas add a distinct flavor to foods like Spanish paella, rice dishes, and bouillabaisse. Planting saffron in a pot outdoors. The pot is brought inside to overwinter in very cold climates.

Then in the fall months, the saffron will sprout up tiny grass-like stalks again and the cycle will repeat itself. The first year after planting, the bulbs are still getting established and may not produce heavily.

Generally, the 2nd and 3rd years crops are the heaviest, and then the bulbs are divided in the 4th year. In the 2nd and 3rd year, each bulb should produce roughly 6 to 9 flowers, each one with three precious saffron threads.

Harvest the flowers mid-morning, once the flowers are fully opened and any morning dew has dried. Saffron needs to be dried immediately to prevent spoilage, but since the threads are so small, they readily dry in a few hours in the sun. Some of that difference is more than just freshness…. Corn silk is cut, dried and died bright red and then sold as saffron. If growing them in a pot, do you need to sink the pot into the ground again every year?

The reason to sink it into the ground is to help regulate temperature, moisture and keep them deep. I just ordered a bunch of saffron crocus, and I too, live in Vermont East Middlebury which is now considered zone 5.

If I choose to plant some in a window box for easy portability, and they have to be stored at degrees during the winter, would they require light, or could I put them in my cellar? I have a garage, but it is not insulated, and gets much colder than that. Excellent work by Ashley. So nicely explained all the steps and care. Thanks so much for being sharing all details. Keep up the good work and take care of yourself.

Will the corms need light when they are dormant, or would this be a good place to store them until spring? Thanks for any help you can supply. How do I know which place to buy them is good.

On amazon the stars are all over the place. Help in buying.. Very nice write up. I am originally from Iran and have a natural affinity for this precious flower. The climate is very similar to what we have in the Saffron region in Iran. I am starting with just corms. Your article has been quite helpful. Wonderful, I wish you the best of luck! Let me know how it goes! I have planted 10 saffron bulbs on 30th august this year for the first time. They have already multiplied to The beautiful green foliage is also showing.

When should I expect my first saffron flower. I live in hardy zone 6a in the US. Great article- looking forward to attempting to grow saffron corms on our northern Vermont homestead next late summer. Hope it works out for you. I bought 10 corms and it arrived today. Three stigmas are borne in the center of each cup-shaped bloom. The best time to harvest the stigmas is mid-morning on a sunny day when the flowers have fully opened and are still fresh.

The stigmas on this flower are ready to harvest. Saffron can also be planted in containers, especially in areas where squirrels, gophers, mice, or voles are a problem. Here, we planted saffron in pots and kept them in the small hoop house next to my main greenhouse.

On harvesting day, Hannah plucked the blooms and placed them gently in a basket. And they smell so wonderful — a sweet, honey-like fragrance.

The leaves of the saffron will persist for eight to 12 weeks, then wither and vanish, leaving no trace of the corms below until the flowers appear again next fall. Once harvested, they are allowed to dry. Once dried, they can be stored in a jar. With each successive year, the corms will multiply, the size of the planting will increase, and we will be able to harvest more of the spicy stigmas. Please go to her Instagram page hannahcmilman to see more wonderful photos and Stories.

Hannah is also taking pre-orders for next year — corms and saffron. Just email her at hannahcmilman gmail. Martha Pins.