Best time to plant salsify in Australia
Tragopogon porrifolius
Also called oyster plant, vegetable oyster, purple salsify, common salsify
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.
On a shared plot: suits a plot
Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.
When to sow
| Zone | Months | How well checked |
|---|---|---|
| Cool | Sep to Mar | Not yet checked against a local guide |
| Temperate | Sep to Apr | Not yet checked against a local guide |
| Subtropical | Aug to Mar | Not yet checked against a local guide |
| Tropical | Apr to Jul | Not yet checked against a local guide |
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
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.