SAFFRON is known to be the world’s most expensive spice, but did you know you can grow it in your garden?
Amy Chapman explained how you can do it on Instagram (@inthecottagegarden) – and it’s easier than you might think.
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Per gram, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world – this is because of the labour intensive process required to harvest large quantities of it to sell.
But if you only need a small amount, growing it in your garden is actually pretty simple to do.
The pros from Better Homes And Gardens explained: “Each saffron flower only produces three threads, so it can take thousands of flowers to get just one ounce of saffron.
“The whisper-thin threads are also incredibly delicate, so they must be carefully harvested by hand, and only very early in the morning to avoid risking damage from the sun.”
But growing it in small quantities is loads easier – all you need is some saffron crocus corms and a place to plant them.
Amy explained: “They only take a couple of months to grow into beautiful crocus flowers, so you can get your first harvest this autumn.
Plant them in a pot with good drainage 15cm deep and 15cm apart in a sunny spot.
“They’re hardy and perennial which means you can basically leave them to it and you’ll get a crop every single year,” the gardening whizz added.
You’ve got until October to plant the crocus corms, which you can get from most garden centres.
Once they’re ready to harvest just pluck the stigma using tweezers and store in an air tight container.
After sharing the trick on social media other gardening fans couldn’t wait to give it a go for themselves.
One said: “Always thought about growing crocuses and going all in on saffron! Maybe this is the year.”
“I love this, I had no idea it was easy to do, thanks,” another wrote.
A third commented: “I want to follow this too very interested it’s so expensive!”
And someone else said: “My saffron is going into its third year and still no flowers, fingers crossed for this season!”
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