Long white roots, violet flowers that carry a scent close to chocolate, and a flesh whose delicate taste recalls artichoke with a hint of almond: purple salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) is a biennial root vegetable lifted through autumn and winter. Give it deep, light, rich, well-drained soil without stones, and the roots come up long and clean.
| Name | Tragopogon porrifolius |
|---|---|
| Common name | purple salsify |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Type | vegetable |
| Height | 12 to 36 inches (30 to 90 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | light, rich and well drained |
| Harvest | fall → early spring |
Whether you start from seed or plant young plants directly, you’ll see that it’s quite easy to grow superb salsify.
Salsify can be grown from seed or by planting young plantlets. In both cases, check that you’ve got deep, rich and well drained soil which you can obtain if you add fertilizer or compost.
If the soil you’ve got is heavy, you’ll have to lighten it with sand while avoiding stones.
Sowing salsify
This method of growing salsify can be successfully followed by all, even beginners.
Planting salsify
If you’ve purchased salsify as young plants in pots, plan to transfer them to the ground in spring.
Salsify is a biennial that calls for minimal care, perhaps only regular watering in case of high temperatures.
To grow larger salsify, feel free to remove floral scapes as soon as they appear. It you let them grow, then root growth will slow down.
Salsify is a vegetable that is quite easy-growing and it fears only very few diseases.
Nonetheless, it may be that your plants appeal to slugs and caterpillars…
Salsify stems resist freezing and can be harvested in fall, winter, and even up to spring.
Remember to wear gloves when harvesting because salsify will stain your hands.
Salsify is a biennial plant that would normally bloom in spring if it weren’t usually harvested during winter in the 2nd year of growing.
One can harvest salsify from mid-autumn to mid-spring, simply pulling the roots out as needs arise.
How to keep salsify
Once you’ve harvested it, cut the salsify leaves off keep the roots in the dark.
Salsify occupies the ground for a long season, from the first sowing to roots pulled in the depths of winter. Here is the run of tasks, with the timing and the point of each one.
| Task | When | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing in place | End of winter, early spring and mid-spring | Grooves ¾ inch (2 cm) deep, seeds covered with ½ to 1 inch of soil mix |
| Planting young plants | Spring | Dig to 8 inches (20 cm), 8 to 12 inches between plants, 6 inches between rows |
| Watering | Spells of high temperatures | Regular watering; otherwise the crop asks for very little |
| Mulching | As winter draws near | Dried leaf mulch, which protects from cold and makes pulling easier |
| Feeding and weeding | Spring | Till the ground around the plants, weed, then add compost at the stem |
| Harvest | Mid-autumn to mid-spring | Pull roots as they are needed; wear gloves, as salsify stains hands |
Removing the floral scapes as they appear keeps the plant’s energy in the root rather than the flower.
Whatever the variety – ‘Blanc amélioré’, ‘Large-rooted mammoth’ or ‘Russian giant white’, salsify is a vegetable with a delicate and subtle taste that is somewhat close to artichoke.
Salsify is appreciated for its slight taste of almonds. Its flowers boast a fragrance close to the smell of chocolate.
Salsify hosts great nutritional benefits, among which relatively low calorie intake, high levels of protein, calcium, iron, phosphorus and vitamin E.
Salsify proteins amount to 1.5 g for 3.5 oz (100 g), but carbohydrates are where it is striking with only 1/5th oz (5 g) for 3.5 oz (100 g) and relatively low calorie count at 30 kCal.
Native to the Mediterranean area, purple salsify is often confused with black salsify which is a different (although related) plant.
Their taste is similar, but salsify will produce white roots and violet flowers whereas roots are black and flowers yellow for black salsify.
The purple flowers are why the common name of this vegetable is “purple salsify“.
It is recommended to amend the soil with compost before the planting and to loosen up the soil well.
