Surprising Saffron

One of the most interesting things I have in my garden, one that is always a conversation starter is saffron (Crocus sativus). A species of autumn blooming crocus. The same extraordinarily expensive spice is also quite easy to grow here in NY, its prohibitive cost due to the labor of collection, rather than difficulty.

It requires full sun (some say it can tolerate part shade but I believe full sun will help the corms grow bigger and stronger), is quite drought tolerant, and needs well drained soil. It’s not too picky on acidity and will do alright from a pH of 6.0 to 8.0. It’s hardy in USDA Zones 6 through 9. It comes up around mid October when it flowers, and the cheerful green, grass like leaves last through May. In order to collect the saffron, you take the three red stigmas from each of the flowers, dry them, and store them in a glass jar (glass, so the flavor doesn’t get leeched into the plastic and vice versa.)

 

 

One issue is that rabbits and squirrels might get a taste for them, but usually they leave it alone. My biggest issue has actually been slugs/snails, who will steal the stigma from closed flowers, leaving them empty to find in the morning. I have a patch of them in my annual garden bed (they multiply quite quick), but I recently bought some more to plant in window boxes as I think it would look quite adorable during the winter. During the summer when they’re dormant, I will take these into the garage, divide them, plant some of the new cormlets outside, and then bring the boxes outside during the fall.

They really don’t do well if constantly exposed to water since the bulbs will rot, so keep them in a place that won’t be too wet. Watering them once a week when they break dormancy is enough, if you’re having a particularly dry Autumn.

One thing to note is that ingesting too much saffron is toxic–and pregnant women should definitely avoid it as there’s the possibility of it having abortificant effects.