Growing Saffron – The World’s Most Valuable Spice

Want to learn how to grow saffron? Growing saffron requies a little bit of space, a little time and will yield delicious results.

growing saffron flowers

About Saffron

  • Family: Iridaceae
  • Botanical Name: Crocus sativus
  • Common Name: Saffron
  • Type: Herb
  • Light: Full sun to partial sun   
  • Zone: 5-8 outdoors (USDA)
  • Soil pH: 6-7, well draining
  • Size: 12”-18” tall; 12” wide
saffron flowers Pixabay photo

Growing Saffron

Do you want to grow saffron in your dome? What do you need to know? Join us as we learn more about saffron. 

Best Location in a Dome Greenhouse for Growing Saffron

Saffron needs a dry location and full sun. Choose an area that will not be too wet and is in full sun. Saffron will not overwinter in cold climates. Plant saffron corms in pots or crates if your dome is unheated. Move the plant inside for winter or dig up the corms and store them for winter. Replant the corms in early fall.

person holding saffron corms over a raised garden bed

Growing Saffron: Planting Corms

Purchase corms to grow saffron. They are relatively inexpensive to purchase at about $1.00 per corm. Be sure you get the correct variety as there are similar plants that are toxic and not edible. The spice saffron is Crocus sativus

Plant saffron corms in early fall. To plant your corms, loosen the soil approximately twice the size of the corm. Plant the flat side of your corm down at 2 inches deep. Space corms corms 4 inches apart. Pack the soil firmly and water. Use plant markers as it takes several weeks for sprouts to appear.

Saffron Care

Saffron needs full sun. In hot regions, plant saffron where it will get shade during the hottest part of the day. Saffron prefers temperatures of 70 degrees, but it will handle temperatures between 50-100 F. Saffron grown in greenhouses needs humidity of 45-55%. Too much humidity will cause saffron to struggle to bloom.

Plant saffron corms in early fall with a spacing of 4-6 inches. If rodents are an issue, line the planting area with hardware cloth (¼” wire mesh) to keep rodents out. Ground squirrels, mice and voles will dig up and eat the corms if possible.

saffron corms

Test your soil pH. It should be between 6-8 for healthy saffron plants. Add compost to your saffron bed each year to keep the soil healthy.

Watering your saffron is crucial. Too much water will cause the corm to rot. Check soil prior to watering. If the soil is dry, water it.

Saffron Companion Plants

We include companion plants articles in many of our plant articles. It is a simple and effective way to help your garden thrive.

Saffron grown from a corm and needs space below the surface of the soil. Do not plant other bulb plants near saffron. First, other bulb plants will compete with saffron and may even inhibit your saffron’s growth. In addition, the plants will be competing for nutrients. Saffron needs dry soil whereas other bulb plants can require more water which may rot the saffron corm.

Examples of great saffron companions include lavender, rosemary and marigolds. These all have similar needs as far as sunlight and soil conditions. Planting these with saffron is beneficial as they are pest deterrents!

growing saffron bud

Lavender is wonderful at repelling moths and those pesky aphids. Rosemary is a deterrent to flies, cabbage moth and mosquitoes…hooray for rosemary! Of course, our beloved marigolds keep plenty of pests away. Marigold have a natural compound used in many insect repellents.

Other companions for saffron are roses, peonies, salvia and columbine, the Colorado State flower.

Plants to avoid are typically heavy feeders that need more water and take up a large portion of the nutrients your saffron needs. Saffron is a fall crop, harvesting summer crops will help it thrive.

Growing Saffron: Managing Pests and Diseases

Saffron is relatively easy to grow. Although all plants can be affected by pests and diseases, saffron is fairly simple. The biggest issues are overwatering and rodents. Too much water can cause root rot or fungal diseases. In our article Greenhouse Gardening: Watering Best Practices For Optimal Growth, read more about watering.

Spider mites and scale are other pests to watch out for. Spider mites are small and it is be difficult to spot them. The mites will feed on your plants which weakens them. Watch for stippling, wilting or discoloration of the leaves.

Some methods to treat spider mites are beneficial insects, soap solutions, rubbing alcohol, neem or rosemary oil. If you use any type of organic spray we recommend treating your plants early in the morning or in the evening to avoid burning them in the sun. We recommend testing a small area of the plant first to see if it tolerates the treatment.

Scale insects are easy to miss as they attach themselves to leaves, stems and twigs. They are small, but they are busy sucking juices from plants leaving them weak and malnourished. How do you remove them? Watch our video on scale pests!

If you have rodents get into your dome they will be after the saffron and everything else! As mentioned earlier, some gardeners line the planting area with ¼” hardware cloth to keep rodents from digging up below and stealing the corms. We recommend using hardware cloth when building your dome to keep rodents out.

Growing Saffron: Harvest Time

Saffron plants will begin to push through the soil in search of the sun approximately 5 weeks after planting. After that they will all come into bloom quickly and the flowers can be picked as soon as they bloom. Harvest saffron flowers in fall from October to November. Petals are edible as well as the stigma. Saffron is also used as food coloring and as a paste in cultural practices.

Harvest the stigma carefully by hand or by using tweezers and then dry it. Drying methods vary; the options are sun drying, air drying, dehydration or using a gas stove to dry them. Harvested saffron has the best flavor within six months of harvesting.

person holding harvested saffron stigmas in their hands Pixabay photo

Saffron corms may overwinter in your dome, but we recommend digging up the corms and storing them for the winter.

The History of Saffron

Saffron has a “colorful” history and it’s a bit mysterious. It has been in use since the 7th Century in cuisines around the world as well as for dying.

dried saffron spice in a glass jar Pixabay photo

Currently, most saffron is grown in Iran. However, it is also grown all the way from Spain to India. In 2018 Iran cultivated an area over 107,000 acres or 174 tons. Afghanistan was the second largest producer with 67 tons in 2023. Winning the bronze medal for saffron production was Spain. Although we think of India when we think of saffron, they only produced 22 tons. Saffron is a labor-intensive plant to harvest and to dry the stigmas and the labor force in Iran is inexpensive and reliable. 

Buddhists wear saffron-colored robes, however, they are most likely dyed with turmeric or jackfruit which are much less expensive dyes.

Saffron Trivia

  • Saffron has been worth more than gold in different times of history.
  • Did you know that it takes about over 70,000 blooms to produce one pound of saffron? 
  • October 22 is Saffron Day in Australia in honor of a young organ donor named Deyaan. Deyaan passed away in India while on vacation with his family. Deyaan learned about organ donation at school and wanted to be an organ donor if something happened to him. After the family returned home they wanted to help raise awareness in Australia about organ donation and “Saffron Day”.
  • Did you know that not only rodents like saffron corms and leaves, but so do porcupines!
  • The saffron color of robes of certain Buddhist monks and nuns symbolizes renunciation and humility. Saffron colored flags can indicate a place of worship. Saffron paste is used as adornment in some Hindu ceremonies.

Health Benefits of Saffron

Saffron is another one of those amazing plants that is rich in antioxidants. What are antioxidants? Antioxidants help prevent cell damage and are thought to help in preventing cancer. The antioxidants in saffron are crocetin, crocin and safranal, which may help the brain and nervous system.

saffron flowers and vegetables Pixabay photo

There are also some studies that show saffron may have positive effects on other conditions, but this needs further research. Some of the health areas that saffron may help with are: PMS, weight loss, and depression. NOTE: Pregnant women should avoid high doses.

fall harvest of saffron stigmas sitting on top of golden maple leaves Pixabay photo

Happy fall gardening!

author avatar
Tina Jones Marketing Assistant
I joined Growing Spaces in 2021 as a gardener and now work with the Marketing and Social Media department. Formerly I was a kindergarten teacher and then worked as a Gardener and Volunteer Coordinator at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens in Hawaii. Since moving to Colorado I worked in the veterinary field and have been involved in therapy dog work visiting hospitals, schools and libraries with a national therapy group. My previous dog and I also worked as a crisis response team helping those affected by crises or disasters and were deployed through Hope Animal-Assisted Crisis Response. Muppet and I are now a crisis response canine-handler team! Outside of working and volunteering, I love growing native plants and flowers at home, hiking, photography and hanging out with my husband and our dogs. I like to garden and volunteer with my therapy dogs in the community. My husband and I enjoying skiing and horseback riding. He helps build gardening beds so I can dig in the dirt and grow things.

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