Planting Salsify
Salsify is a cool season vegetable in the Asteraceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.
You can sow Salsify directly into the garden 0–2 weeks before your last frost.
Spacing and Planting Depth
Give Salsify room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.
| Spacing in row | 3 inches |
|---|---|
| Row spacing | 18 inches |
| Plants per sq ft | 2.67 |
| Planting depth | 0.5 inches |
| Sun requirement | Full sun |
Days to Maturity
Salsify reaches maturity in 110–150 days from sowing.
Salsify is ready to harvest after about 130 days. Harvest before summer heat or, for fall crops, before a hard freeze, to keep quality high.
Conditions and Care
As a cool-season vegetable, Salsify does its best growing in the cooler weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. It is frost hardy and can shrug off light freezes, so it can stay in the ground later into the season than tender crops.
Salsify needs full sun — give it at least six hours of direct light a day for the best growth and flavor. Sow seed about 0.5 inches deep, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.
Salsify belongs to the Asteraceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Salsify is generally grown as a single planting each season rather than succession sown.
Companion Plants
Pairing Salsify with the right neighbors can improve growth and deter pests; a few combinations are best avoided.