Sium sisarum
Skirret
Common names: Sugar root
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 20 cm, rows 40 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Planting
- Mar–Apr
- Harvest
- Jan, Feb, Oct, Nov, Dec
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Description
The sugar root is an ancient, mildly sweet root vegetable that was prized in medieval monastery gardens. A plant produces a cluster of finger‑thick, white roots that, when cooked or fried, resemble a sweet parsnip.
Care instructions
Sow from March in the house before or directly into the bed when the soil has warmed, and expect slow germination. Keep the bed moist and weed‑free and harvest from October; the roots remain frost‑hardy in the ground and taste sweetest after the first cold nights.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
PlantingMar–Apr
HarvestJan–Feb, Oct–Dec
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, well-drained, moist, nutrient-rich
You need a deep, humus-rich and nutrient-rich soil that is loose and well-drained, so that the roots can grow unhindered into the depth. Keep the soil evenly moist, since the water demand is high especially in summer, but avoid waterlogging; loosen heavy soils well before sowing and enrich them with ripe compost.
Umbellifers (carrot, celery, parsnip), moderate feeders: a 4-year break keeps carrot fly and soil fungi down.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
In spring before new growth, work ripe compost in shallowly. In the first year of standing, that is usually enough. From the second year you can also scatter horn shavings thinly and rake them in lightly. Go easy on nitrogen: too much promotes lush foliage at the expense of the root.
Overwintering
Skirret is a hardy perennial. Its roots simply stay in the ground and sprout again in March. You can harvest as needed over the winter (frost makes it sweeter) and leave individual root pieces standing for further propagation; a loose cover of leaves or straw against frost without snow cover is optional.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
- Offsets
Skirret can be propagated well both vegetatively and from seed. The vegetative route gives productive plants true to variety faster, because seedlings turn out uneven.
Offset shoots / offsets: This is the most typical route for skirret. When you dig up a rootstock in late autumn or early spring, you find small side shoots with their own root buds around the base. Separate strong shoots with a sharp knife. If a storage root is attached, all the better, but it is not necessary. Root the offsets in moist conditions until they grow actively, and then plant them in their final position.
Rootstock division: In early spring, as soon as new shoots are visible, dig up a strong rootstock and divide it with a sharp knife into several pieces. Make sure that each piece carries at least one shoot bud. Plant the pieces immediately in deep, well-prepared soil. Divided plants often even grow on more strongly.
Sowing: The seeds germinate slowly and irregularly. Expect around 35 days, often longer. For an autumn sowing (October/November), scatter directly in the bed; the hardy species then germinates in spring with a head start. Alternatively, sow from February/March in seed trays at 8 to 10 °C and keep evenly moist. Soaking the seeds overnight in lukewarm water can speed up germination a little. Sowing depth approx. 1 to 1.5 cm, row spacing 25 to 30 cm, later thin to 15 cm. Note: plants grown from seed turn out uneven and often stay small and fibrous in the first year. For even, thick roots, vegetative propagation is the better choice.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
Umbellifers and alliums confuse each other's pests (carrot fly, onion fly).
For example GarlicLeekChivesWild daffodilRocamboleElephant garlic and 11 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
daisy family (Asteraceae)
Calendula and Tagetes next to carrots keep the carrot fly away with their scent.
For example French marigoldCalendulaSunflowerButterhead lettuceCommon coneflowerIceberg lettuce and 72 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You can pair celery and dill with all Brassicaceae because they repel the cabbage whitefly with their scent, a proven companion.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed-culture Practice
legume family (Fabaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example PeaBush beanPole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled pea and 36 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Skirret yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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