How to Grow Scorzonera UK
On this page
- Scorzonera (Scorzonera hispanica)
- When to Plant Scorzonera in the UK
- Quick Facts
- At a Glance
- Soil & Growing Conditions
- Growth Stages
- Harvest & Storage
- Diseases
- Pests
- Scorzonera, the Black-Skinned Root with White Flesh
- Plan your Scorzonera planting
- Growing Scorzonera in another region
- References
- Frequently Asked Questions
In the UK, scorzonera goes in the ground early March to early June, and is ready to harvest 120 days after planting.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: sowing early March, and that same window applies across all 4 regions covered here.
The short answer
- Plant
- Early March to early June
- Ready in
- 120 days
- Site
- soil pH 6–7.5
- Biggest risk
- White blister
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Scorzonera (Scorzonera hispanica)
Also known as: black salsify · 7 sources cited · Verified
When to Plant Scorzonera in the UK
When to plant scorzonera in the UK: in Southern England, sow early March to early June. Find your area in the table below.
Quick Facts
At a Glance
Soil & Growing Conditions
Growth Stages
Harvest & Storage
Diseases
Pests
Scorzonera, the Black-Skinned Root with White Flesh
Plan your Scorzonera planting
When to sow and plant Scorzonera depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Scorzonera in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
References
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Scorzonera hispanica is a herbaceous perennial native to southern Europe and western Asia, with long black edible roots of good nutritional value and a mild, slightly sweet flavour. Easily raised from seed sown in situ in autumn or spring, using the freshest seed possible; sow in spring as soon as the soil has warmed, about 1.5cm deep in rows 30cm apart, aiming for about 10cm between plants. Ideal conditions for long roots are a sunny spot in moist but well-drained sandy or loamy soil; needs 150-180 days from sowing to harvest and deep, stone-free soil for straight roots. Harvest from November after the first frosts; roots left in the ground stay in good condition through December, January and February, and frost improves the flavour.
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Scorzonera is of Mediterranean origin. Sow in spring once the soil has warmed, about 1.5cm deep, in rows about 30cm apart, thinning seedlings to about 15cm. Light, free-draining soil is recommended. Roots are ready to lift from mid-autumn onwards; sink a fork about 15cm from the plant base and ease it back and forth to loosen the soil, repeating on the opposite side, then lift the brittle root carefully. Like parsnips, roots can stay in the ground through winter where the flavour improves with frost, or be lifted and stored in boxes of damp sand. Can behave as a perennial -- offsets replanted after harvest give multi-year production.
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RHS explicitly does not recommend pesticide use against aphids; recommends tolerance, manual squashing, and encouraging/purchasing natural predators (ladybirds, hoverflies, lacewings, parasitoid wasps, earwigs) as biological control, especially under glass.
7 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I sow scorzonera in the UK?
In Southern England, from early March. In Scotland, wait until early March. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
When do I sow scorzonera?
Sow early March to early June.
How long does scorzonera take to grow?
Typically 120 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
What soil pH does scorzonera need?
A pH of about 6–7.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect scorzonera?
Our data links 1 disease and 1 pest to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.
Get the UK Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for UK growing conditions
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against RHS and Met Office guidance. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-09-02
Plan Scorzonera by month
The months this guide gives for sowing or planting, each with the full list of jobs for that month in the UK:
More from the same group (roots & tubers):
Growing advice for your part of the UK
Timing and conditions change a lot inside one country. These guides cover frost dates and growing seasons region by region.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.