How to grow Salsify

Where to plant

Grow salsify in full sun in deep, fertile, well-drained soil. Loosen the soil at least 10 inches deep and remove stones and clods, which cause forked, twisted roots. Avoid fresh manure, which also makes roots fork; dig in well-rotted compost instead.

Salsify is grown much like parsnip. Sow it so the roots finish growing in cool fall weather.

• Northeast, Midwest, Northern Plains, Mountain West and Alaska: sow in spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Salsify needs the whole season, so summer sowings do not mature before the ground freezes.
• Pacific Northwest: sow from March to May; roots can stay in the ground through the mild winter.
• Mid-Atlantic and Mid-South: sow in March or April, or in summer (June in the Mid-Atlantic, August or September in the Mid-South) for roots to dig after the fall frosts.
• Southern Plains: sow in March or April; seed sown in summer heat germinates poorly.
• Florida, the Gulf South, Texas, the Desert Southwest and Southern California: sow in late summer to fall so the roots grow through the cool season.
• Northern California: sow in July or August so the roots grow through the mild fall and winter.

Choosing a variety

Mammoth Sandwich Island is the standard variety, maturing in about 120 days with smooth, oyster-flavored roots.

How to plant

1. Use fresh seed, as salsify seed loses viability quickly.
2. Sow 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep, about 10 to 12 seeds per foot, in rows 18 to 24 inches apart.
3. Keep the row moist until seedlings emerge; do not let the surface dry out.
4. Thin seedlings to 2 to 3 inches apart. Salsify does not transplant, so thin rather than move plants.
5. Weed often but shallowly while plants are young and slow growing.

Watering and feeding

Keep the soil evenly moist through the season for smooth, unforked roots; dry spells followed by heavy watering cause splitting.

Salsify likes rich soil. Work compost into the bed before sowing and side-dress lightly in midsummer if growth is slow.

Harvesting

Like parsnip, salsify tastes best after several hard frosts, which sweeten the roots. Dig from late fall through winter and into early spring, before new growth starts. Loosen the soil deeply with a fork beside the row and lift each root carefully, as they snap easily.

Cut the leaves off about an inch above the root. Store roots like carrots, cold and humid, or mulch the row with straw and dig as needed through winter.

Using it

Scrub or peel the roots and drop them into water with a little lemon juice, as they discolor quickly. Boil, steam or saute them, or add them to soups and gratins. The young leaves and shoots in spring can be eaten like asparagus or in salads.

Propagation and saving seed

Salsify is a biennial. Roots left in the ground a second year send up stalks of purple, daisy-like flowers that become large, dandelion-like seed heads. Salsify has naturalized in much of the US, so remove flower heads before they set seed unless you are saving seed.