Growing Scorzonera: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · July 24, 2026
Scorzonera is often sold alongside salsify and grown the same way, but its root has a distinctive black skin over white flesh. Peeled and cooked, it shares salsify’s mild, faintly oyster-like flavor.
Sowing and digging
Direct-sow seed in early to mid spring, 1/2 inch deep, thinning seedlings to 2-3 inches apart. Like salsify, it’s a genuine long-season crop. Roots are dug in late fall after a full season of growth, and a light frost beforehand sweetens the flavor.
The taproot doesn’t forgive disturbance
The long taproot doesn’t tolerate transplanting, so direct-sow only and thin seedlings promptly rather than letting them crowd each other. Keep the seedbed consistently moist until germination, which can be slow. A uniform variety like Enorma helps here too: even germination and even root size mean less guesswork about which seedlings to keep when you thin.
The same deep bed as carrot and parsnip
Give scorzonera the same deep, well-drained soil as carrot, parsnip, and salsify, and plan for it to hold its bed space for most of the growing season.
Sources: Salsify and Scorzonera Growing Information, Johnny’s Selected Seeds; Enorma - Organic Scorzonera Seed, Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Companion planting guide for Scorzonera (Black Salsify) · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 3-9. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. Scorzonera (Black Salsify) doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Scorzonera (Black Salsify) plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 4 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-2 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Enorma (Scorzonera hispanica): Straight-species scorzonera seed can produce roots of wildly different sizes in the same row. Enorma is bred for long, straight, uniform black roots (9-11 inches by about 3/4 inch), which matters a lot for a root you're digging by hand out of a foot of soil and trying not to snap. (source)
Cited from the source shown next to each variety. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement.
Where to buy scorzonera seeds
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a genuine consensus of positive, independent reviews. See the sources cited on each item.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing scorzonera (black salsify)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Scorzonera (Black Salsify): Salsify's black-skinned cousin, grown the same way and prized for the same mild, oyster-like flavor.
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