Growing in Richmond

Best time to plant salsify in Richmond

Tragopogon porrifolius

Also called oyster plant, vegetable oyster, purple salsify, common salsify

Sow salsify in Richmond in Sep to Apr.

Salsify is grown for its edible taproot, which reaches 15 to 30 cm long and 2 to 5 cm thick, and for its ornamental purple flower heads. The plant stands up to 1.2 m, with grass-like leaves and stems that ooze a milky sap. Oyster plant and vegetable oyster are among its other names.

When to sow in Richmond

Richmond, NSW is in the temperate zone. Its months for salsify apply here without a frost adjustment.

Not yet checked against a local guide.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Richmond

Frost usually arrives in Richmond around late May and finishes by early September. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as early May or as late as late September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: suits a plot

Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly in the bed
Sowing depth
12mm
Plant spacing
10cm
Row spacing
45cm
Height
120cm
Germination
About 20 days
Time to harvest
115 days from sowing
Frost
Hardy, takes a light frost
Sun
Part sun
Life cycle
biennial, usually grown as an annual

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Salsify elsewhere

Salsify across Australia