Scorzonera: a steady crop for long winter roots
Scorzonera takes patience but provides a harvest when many summer crops have gone. A long, dark root grows beneath the narrow leaves. Give it deep, loose soil and take your time lifting it intact at harvest.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
- Sowing
- Spring, directly in workable soil
- Harvesting
- Autumn and winter; longer possible in a suitable position
- Location
- Sun and deep, loose soil
- Carrot
- Fragile; harvest with a fork
This growing advice helps you choose. Your variety, growth stage, weather and conditions in your space determine the actual timing.
Sowing under cover and raising seedlings
Sow directly · Scorzonera
March–April; follow species and cultivar guidanceSow in the final position in deeply workable soil. Wait during cold or waterlogging.
- Germination and temperature
- Wait for workable, warmed soil; follow the cultivar’s minimum sowing temperature.
- After emergence
- Keep the seed row evenly moist during emergence and identifiable with a label.
- Pricking out and potting on
- Do not prick out. Thin in place; transplanting can damage the taproot.
- Hardening off and planting out
- Stays where sown; hardening off and planting out are unnecessary for direct sowing.
This taproot crop stays where sown. Parsnip needs fresh seed and can germinate slowly; follow separate seed guidance for scorzonera, salsify and root parsley.
Sources and use
RHS · pastinaak ↗Britse teeltrichtlijn voor een gematigd klimaat; de genoemde perioden zijn richtlijnen voor Nederland en Vlaanderen.
De Bolster · De Bolster — Schorseneren telen ↗Nederlandse producent of teeltbron; de rasinstructie blijft leidend.
Utah State University Extension · USU Extension — schorseneer in de tuin ↗Soort- of productgebonden bron; buitenlandse perioden zijn geen vaste Nederlandse zaaidatum.
Guideline periods for the Netherlands and Flanders. Check the variety, available light, soil and measured temperatures. Greenhouse heating does not guarantee enough winter light.
A different flavour, a different harvest.
Choose by more than the name. Discover how these varieties and crop types taste, what you can use them for and what growing them involves.
1 of 1 choices · 1 named varieties
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
Zwarte reus uit Rusland
Long, cylindrical root with black skin and a white interior.
Choose this variety for long, white kitchen roots beneath dark skin. It is true scorzonera, Scorzonera hispanica, and remains separate from white salsify.
Flavour, kitchen and growing
How does it taste?
After cooking, scorzonera has a soft, mild vegetable aroma. The source mentions good flavour, but no proven difference from other black salsify varieties.
This flavour description applies to the crop; there is no separate tasting result for this variety.In the kitchen
Peel carefully and put pieces straight into water with a little lemon to prevent browning. Cook equal pieces and serve with butter or a light white sauce.
A space in the garden
Sow directly in deeply loosened, stone-free soil. Give long roots a full growing season and keep the first small plants free from strong weed competition.
Harvesting
Lift with a fork well beside the row and loosen the soil deeply. A whole root is easier to process; use broken parts first and continue harvesting as needed.
Read the source notes →Choose your way to grow
From a garden bed to a suitable pot or support: give your plant a place that suits your garden and the care you can provide.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
Sowing directly into a cleared bed
A root builds its harvest underground. First choose workable soil and a spot that will stay available for long enough. Sow directly and keep the row identifiable, even while seedlings are still small.
- Remove stones, weeds and hard clods without smearing wet clay into a compacted surface.
- Sow at the depth for the cultivar and keep the germination zone moist.
- Thin in time and harvest a first test specimen.
For anyone with a suitable bed and enough root space.
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This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
A small trial in a suitable container
A deep growing container can support a small trial if roots have enough length. Check final variety size before choosing it. An ordinary shallow pot is no logical alternative to a long scorzonera bed.
- Check the cultivar’s expected root size.
- Choose a container with enough depth and unobstructed drainage.
- Sow directly and check moisture more often than in the ground.
For limited space, provided the container suits the root shape.
Tick off your supplies →Explore the varieties
See the confirmed differences. Characteristics without supporting evidence are left blank.
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Choose two to four varieties to compare their source data side by side.
Choose by flavour, shape and use
Zwarte reus uit Rusland: Long, cylindrical root with black skin and a white interior. Peel carefully and put pieces straight into water with a little lemon to prevent browning. Cook equal pieces and serve with butter or a light white sauce.
After cooking, scorzonera has a soft, mild vegetable aroma. The source mentions good flavour, but no proven difference from other black salsify varieties.
Choosing a suitable root crop
Black salsify is not the same species as white salsify. Choose the correct seed and a bed where it can stay a long time, avoiding a slow root crop having to give way to another plant mid-season.
Make room underground
Feel whether the soil is loose enough below the top layer. A fine surface can hide a hard layer. Carefully relieve obstructive compaction when the soil is workable. Avoid fresh, coarse manure directly in a row where straight roots need to develop.
Sow in the final position
Sow directly in spring in deep, loose soil. Keep the seedbed moist during germination and let the young taproot grow in its final position. Sowing in trays and pricking out offer little advantage here and increase the risk of a misshapen root.
The surface layer deserves attention
After sowing, keep the germination zone evenly moist. A hard crust and drying can hold back small plants. Water with a fine rose and do not walk over the row. A label helps you find the sowing position before recognisable leaves appear.
Give every young plant its own space
Thin in good time following variety advice. Narrow young leaves appear to need little room, but a firm root must form underground. Keep weeds small through shallow work, rather than repeatedly digging deeply between plants.
Growing without large fluctuations
During dry periods, check moisture below the surface. Young plants and containers need more frequent watering checks than a well-rooted crop in a bed. Water according to need and let it soak down; a wet surface every day tells you little about the root zone.
Take time over the first one
Insert a fork beside the row and loosen soil generously. Pull the long root only once free. Scorzonera breaks easily; use damaged roots first. Harvest only from workable soil, not through frozen ground.
An unusual root tells you something
Branching can reflect stony or compacted soil. Major moisture fluctuations can affect quality, although not every crack has a definite cause. Move the next crop to better-prepared soil and avoid fresh manure just before sowing.
Start with a sound harvest
Use damaged roots first and store only sound ones, following guidance for the type and cultivar. Cool conditions and suitable humidity help limit drying, but check for deterioration. Storage advice for one winter cultivar is not a shelf-life promise for the whole species.
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More background, sources and image information
SeedSteps editorial team · updated on 11 October 2026. The AI images illustrate species and practical growing situations; they do not prove an exact cultivar, observations from your own garden or yield.
Britse gewasadviezen worden gecombineerd met Nederlandse en Vlaamse informatie waar beschikbaar. Amerikaanse Extension-bronnen ondersteunen plantprincipes en herkenning; hun kalenderdata, lokale plaagdruk, bestrijdingsmiddelen en mestdoseringen worden niet rechtstreeks op Nederland of Vlaanderen toegepast. Vorst, bodemwarmte, standplaats en expliciete rasinformatie blijven de lokale controle. Commerciële bronnen onderbouwen uitsluitend benoemde ras- en plantkenmerken; zij zijn geen affiliate-aanbeveling.
- World Checklist of Vascular Plants — 4 juni 2026Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · accessed 2026-10-07
- Schorseneer zwarte reus uit Rusland zadenFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- De Bolster — Schorseneren telenDe Bolster · accessed 2026-10-10
- USU Extension — schorseneer in de tuinUtah State University Extension · accessed 2026-10-10
Supporting evidence by chapter: Choose by flavour, shape and use: Feggies. Choosing a suitable root crop: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster. Make room underground: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster. Sow in the final position: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster. The surface layer deserves attention: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster. Give every young plant its own space: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster. Growing without large fluctuations: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster. Take time over the first one: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster. An unusual root tells you something: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster. Start with a sound harvest: Utah State University Extension, De Bolster.