When to sow Salsify in the UK
Salsify is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Salsify is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow outdoors | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| South Coast and Channel | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| South East and Home Counties | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| East Anglia | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| Wales and West Coast | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| Northern England | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| Northern Ireland | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early March to early May | early October to mid April |
Growing notes
Sow direct in spring using fresh seed - like parsnip, germination is slow and old seed fails - and thin to 10cm. Roots reach 30cm, so a container must be at least 30cm wide and deep; frost improves the flavour and roots can be dug through winter into early spring.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 10 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 33
- Days to maturity
- 140 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.15 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 30 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 40 cm
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- root splitting
- forked roots on stony or freshly manured soil
- slugs
- bolting
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for salsify.