Saffron

[Veggiefirsttimer]

Has anyone grown saffron before? My mag arrived today and there is an article in next months issue about growing it. Just wondered what everyone's experiences were :-)

[scarey55]

Yep, I've grown it. I had some lovely saffron from it but sadly the bulbs didn't last in the -18° we had here last year. In fact, they grew very well in the bag before I planted them too

The link from Two Sheds at the bottom is very informative too.

ETA: Silly me, that's one of the saffrons in my avatar

[Veggiefirsttimer]

Thank you, it's so expensive to buy saffron so I am really interested in trying my own! Did you grow the lilac coloured ones like in your pic? Or the white ones?

[scarey55]

I grew the Lilac coloured ones. I didn't know about the white ones and I haven't had my mag yet (being in the wilds of France)

There is a place near us where they grow saffron and I'm going to buy some more from them because I figure that if they have been grown in similar conditions, I stand more of a chance.

I would say, give them a go especially if, like us, you like saffron. The crocuses are very pretty too.

I'm sure that you know but you can only eat the thingies (threads?) from saffron bulbs and not normal crocuses because they are poisonous

[Veggiefirsttimer]

Oh no, I have a little girl who is 2 1/2, would you advise me growing it just in case she decides to go on a little flower picking hunt?

I found the white ones when I was looking for the lilac ones on the internet. We love saffron but it so expensive in the supermarkets!

[Ananke]

I've yet to get a flower from mine never mind a "thread". I have high hopes for this year

[Olorin2001]

I have three large tubs with them in, you pick the flowers as they open or just before they open in the early mornings in autumn over a period of about three weeks, last year was a wash out with only a few flowers not the hundreds that would be normal. Pick out the three stamen in each flower (very fiddley) and dry in a safe place. Once you have grown them you will fully understand why they cost so much.
They need a gritty/sandy free draining compost and after the flower comes the foliage which looks very much like grass. Not really a cost effective crop but I was given 200 corms and was obliged to plant them. Just a tub of grassy stuff and you pick the flowers so nothing showy there, I tried to remove the stamen (threads) from the flowers while still on the plant - forget it - you destroy the flower so better to pick it and dismember in comfort indoors. In theory the corms increase in number each year, which appeared to be the case until last year, down here in the south we rarely experience temperatures lower than -5C and that didn't seem to affect them unduly. People are very impressed on learning that you grow what they consider to be an exotic plant, but all you have to do is plant them in the right type of soil, and pick the flowers, the plants do all the work with very little maintainance apart from weeding.

[greenishfing]

I grew them up here in the north for the first time last year and got quite a few flowers but definitely not one for every plant. I'm glad to hear that last year was a bad year, maybe I'll get a bumper crop this year.

[Veggiefirsttimer]

Thanks for the info! I think I will give it a go! :-) can you get bulbs from the garden centres or are they more freely available online?

[Kirk]

They like full sun and also prefer poorish well drained soil. So treating them like the "normal" ones we have could be a bad move.

Mine (just a few) got utterly confused a year ago, some grew in autumn but just leaves, then more grew in the spring again just leaves. It was a year that had odd weather.

Just had a thought of a good place to move them to

[ado]

Thank you, it's so expensive to buy saffron so I am really interested in trying my own! Did you grow the lilac coloured ones like in your pic? Or the white ones?

As a related aside I am married to an Iranian lady and we get buy our saffron every time we visit Iran, however it is getting quite expensive to buy it there. One tip to make it go further and to be more effective is to grind up a small amount along with some sugar in a pestle, before adding it to your recipe.

[bearded bloke]

Mrs.BB has got me growing safflower this year.Apparently the flowers can be used as a saffron substitute,but will more likely be dried to be used in displays.

[VirginVegGrower]

I've had a few flowers off mine and like the previous poster I have had to harvest the whole flower. I've seen no evidence of their thickening up though. Maybe two years is not yet long enough.

[veggiechicken]

S@tt@ns have a special offer at the mo £14.99 instead of £19.99 for 60 bulbs. Don't know how that compares with others.

[bearded bloke]

VC buys her seeds from the devil,Satan doing special offers business must be slow