Salicornia europaea
Marsh samphire
Common names: Glasswort, Sea asparagus
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 15 cm, rows 25 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- Mar–Apr
- Harvest
- Jul–Sep
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below −2 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Marco Schmidt [1] · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Source
Description
Salicornia europaea, commonly known as marsh samphire, glasswort, or sea asparagus, is a succulent halophyte that grows in salt marshes and brackish wetlands. Its fleshy, jointed stems are edible, tasting salty and crisp, reminiscent of a bite of the sea. The plant lacks true leaves and instead displays bright green to reddish stems that vary with the season. It forms low, dense shrubs and thrives only on saline substrates; without added salt it becomes stunted or dies.
Care instructions
Plant the sea asparagus in a sunny, warm spot with a well‑draining, sandy substrate. Regularly add a small amount of table salt or sea salt to the watering water, as the plant requires salt to thrive. Use a pot with a saucer to facilitate targeted watering. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged; the roots tolerate dampness for weeks but not prolonged saturation. Harvest young stems continuously from July onward with scissors to encourage new growth. The harvest season ends by mid‑September (week 38 at the latest), after which the stems harden.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–Apr
HarvestJul–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 15 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 42 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, well-drained, moist, lean
Marsh samphire naturally grows on salty tidal flats and silt sediments on the coast, so it prefers sandy-loamy, free-draining and permanently moist soil. In the garden, cultivation works best in a seed bed with a high water level or in containers that are flooded regularly. Slightly salty water imitates the natural habitat and noticeably promotes growth. The plant tolerates waterlogging well, but completely dry soils hardly at all.
Feeding
Light feeder
Marsh samphire needs practically no extra feeding, as it is adapted to tidal flat soils that are low to moderately rich in nutrients. A thin layer of mature compost when planting is enough for the whole season. More important than any feeding is constant moisture and slightly salty water, which recreates the natural habitat.
Overwintering
Marsh samphire is an annual and dies off by itself after the seeds ripen in autumn, so overwintering the plant is not necessary. Leave the last shoots standing so that ripe seeds can drop and sow themselves the following year. For deliberate propagation, collect the seed heads dry and store them cool until the next sowing in spring.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
Marsh samphire is propagated exclusively by seed, which you sow into moist, sandy substrate from mid-April · week 16. Germination works most reliably at temperatures around 15 to 20 degrees and permanently wet soil, if necessary with a few centimetres of standing water. Prick out the young seedlings only once they are a few centimetres tall, and gradually get them used to salty water. Sowing directly outdoors only works in permanently moist, sheltered places such as pond edges or flood beds.
For your garden
Grow Marsh samphire yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
Notes from real gardens
What other gardeners have written down about this variety, anonymous and voluntary.
No notes shared yet. Will you be the first to write one down?