On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 08:35:54 +0100, The Reids wrote:

Anybody tried growing it? Is the crocus available? I use a fair
amount of saffron so was considering a row on the allotment.

The difficulty may lie in growing enough to yield a useful
quantity. At a guess, to harvest a useful quantity of saffron,
you need to plant several hundred bulbs of the crocus. And when
the bulbs flower, the stigmas have to be picked daily as fresh
flowers open -- slow, fiddly work with small return.

I notice another reply mentions having to move saffron to fresh
soil every few years. Is this because of disease build up, or
because some important trace nutrient becomes exhausted? Anyone
know?

Also, is your allotment sunny and dry enough? I consider C.
sativus a somewhat demanding crocus species, requiring warmth,
sun, and quite dry soil in summer. I suspect it also does best in
fairly rich soil, so may need regular (i.e. annual)
fertilization.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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