Growing your own Saffron?

[Toddy]

Tbh I live next to a nature walk and if there's a beast that'll eat something in my garden, it's here. Nothing eats the crocus but the sparrows pull the yellow flowers off. No idea why they don't touch the blue or purple ones at all.

If each wee bulb can be coaxed to grow five or six flowers, that's two bulbs worth per meal.....and that's a lot of saffron
I'm fond of the stuff and use if quite a lot, it's the labour costs that make it expensive but I'll not mind picking it in my own garden

cheers,
M

 

[johnnytheboy]

true toddy, one site said plant 4" apart, so in my wee 8x4ft box i could get quite a few in!! the thing about all this is it could open up allot of new recipes that might have been impractical from a fincial perspective previously

 

[eel28]

Sounds like an idea to me, as pound for pound, saffron is more expensive than gold - you could literaly grow your own money plants!

 

[Toadflax]

They have been grown successfully in the UK. In Saffron Walden in Essex in the 16th century and 17th century the saffron crocus was widely grown, hence the name of the place.


Geoff

 

[slowworm]

If each wee bulb can be coaxed to grow five or six flowers, that's two bulbs worth per meal.....and that's a lot of saffron

I've found you're more likely just to get a single flower per bulb, but then the bulb will produce several smaller bulbs so, after a few years, you can build up a large supply of bulbs which will flower. But then you will need a decent amount of space.