Does anyone grow Saffron?

[LGHT]

Does anyone grow or used to grow Crocus Sativus for Saffron? I was thinking about trying to grow some for harvesting next year. I have a friend who's a chef and she gets hers from a local grower who basically grows them in hundreds of large pots in his back garden. Even though she gets a good deal from a local grower she admits on spending several hundred dollars a year just to be sure will never run out.

Just looking for some tips and a possible source to buy bulbs from.

 

[Omri]

I'm not growing them and know my comment is kinda useless, but always wanted to. please let me know how it goes if you do.

EDIT:
I'm a satisfied and loyal costumer of Richters. if I were to buy bulbs, I'd choose them.

http://www.richters.com

 

[RaelThomas]

It's nearly not worth it unless you have a football pitch of them. (Commercially).
I do have a couple of bulbs in my yard that serve their purpose occasionally when the time arises.
Not sure where you are, but can give you the addy of someone who sells bulbs (based in Australia). PM me if you want, they're pretty expensive and labour intensive!

 

[Avon Barksdale]

Thought about it, but seems like a lot of work growing a bunch of them and harvesting the little stigmas.

 

[LGHT]

Yeah I thought about the amount you would need, but I read you can grow 10 plants successfully in a 10 gallon pot. So even if you only 5 pots you can still have 50 plants in a pretty small area of space. That would be more than enough for my personal needs.

I'm located in Southern California so Australia would be too far for shipping.

 

[plaisir8]

Resurrecting an old thread because I just dug up my corms after a first year of growing saffron and could use some tips for a better crop the year after.
So, I planted 40 last september, 4 just rotted without ever breaking the turf, about half of the rest flavoured my paella and risottos...
Problem is they went into estivation super early (cf: my spring garlic woes in the garlic thread). Multiplied but not without much growth: leaving me with 54 rather small bulbs + 17 tiny beads + 5 rotting/blemished. Only 3 managed to grow to what I think is the minimum size to flower (approx 1" diameter).
 

It's nearly not worth it unless you have a football pitch of them. (Commercially).
I do have a couple of bulbs in my yard that serve their purpose occasionally when the time arises.
Not sure where you are, but can give you the addy of someone who sells bulbs (based in Australia). PM me if you want, they're pretty expensive and labour intensive!

So tell me Raelacea, when do you reckon the vegetation on your saffron dies down?
What's the temperature (highs/lows) like when they start senescence, and how deep do you plant yours?
 

Yeah I thought about the amount you would need, but I read you can grow 10 plants successfully in a 10 gallon pot. So even if you only 5 pots you can still have 50 plants in a pretty small area of space. That would be more than enough for my personal needs.

I'm located in Southern California so Australia would be too far for shipping.

Did you manage to get some bulbs? Wonder what your growing experience is like.
 
You are definitely right about the spacing, the roots grow down like garlic or onions without spreading much and well, the tops are pretty compact too.
I'd also like to mention that apart from the harvesting part and hoping for ideal flowering temperatures part, really no labour at all, at least at the small production scale that I have for personal use.
Out of everything I've ever put in a pot, definitely the least hassle to grow. Barely any bugs pay attention to them + there aren't that many out in the cold anyway. Watering somewhere between once every 2 weeks to a month. No need for fertilizing. The literature says they need good sun, but mine seemed to be quite happy in the miserable parisian winter.