Black salsify

Black salsify stays in the bed over winter. The roots survive lowland frosts in Central Europe unharmed in the ground, and you need no protection for them to survive. From October, cover the bed with straw or leaves so that the soil stays frost-free and workable and you can harvest even in cold snaps; in deep lasting frost you simply pause the harvest and carry on once the soil thaws. Alternatively, dig the roots up in autumn and store them in slightly damp sand, cool and frost-free (e.g. in a cellar). Frost improves the flavour, because the plant converts starch into sugar.

You propagate black salsify exclusively by sowing directly outdoors. Raising it beforehand or potting it on damages the sensitive taproot and leads to forked growth and roots that are hard to peel. Sow from March to early April, as soon as the soil can be walked on and is at least 10 °C, in deeply loosened, stone-free soil (taproot up to 40 cm), 1.5 to 3 cm deep, in rows 30 to 40 cm apart. Do not sow too early in cold soil, otherwise the risk rises that the plants bolt (form flowers) in their first year. Germination takes quite a long time at 2 to 3 weeks. After emergence, thin to a plant spacing of about 10 to 15 cm. Seed is short-lived: always use fresh seed from the current season, because its viability lasts only 1 to 2 years and drops markedly after that. If it is dry after sowing, keep the soil evenly moist, otherwise germination is delayed. A late-summer sowing is possible; the roots then overwinter in the bed and are harvested in spring.