How to Grow Saffron and Why You Should Plant It
Saffron (Crocus sativus) is one of the most expensive spices in the world, sometimes even being referred to as “red gold”. While purchasing saffron corms can have a little bit of a cost up front, it pays for itself in dividends when you can harvest year after year.
Growing the saffron plant at home is surprisingly easy, rewarding, and cost-effective. With its beautiful purple flowers and delicate red threads, it is a visual and culinary treasure. Who doesn’t love a pop of purple in the garden?
By growing saffron crocuses (also called corms) in your garden, you’ll not only enhance your garden and landscapes, but you’ll also enjoy an organic, chemical-free spice. We’ll explore the benefits of growing saffron at home, along with some tips for planting, harvesting, and storing your threads.
Learn how to grow this flower as a home gardener and how to cultivate this valuable spice, save money, and enjoy fresh, organic saffron for cooking, natural living, and more.
If you are looking for more to plant use our lists for Top 10 Flowers, Best Cool Weather Vegetables, Growing Garlic, and Herbs to grow in your garden. You may also want to try growing your own microgreens or try your hand at Growing Saffron! Or make your own Banana Tea Fertilizer!
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What is Saffron?
Saffron spice comes from the dried stigmas of the Crocus Sativus flower. Each purple flower produces just three delicate bright red-orange stigmas, making saffron one of the most labor-intensive spices to grow on a large scale. These stigmas can be used in cooking, skincare, holistic remedies, and even as a natural dye.
Due to its rich, vibrant color, and numerous benefits, saffron remains a prized ingredient in dishes like paella and risotto. Instead of buying expensive store-bought saffron spice, why not grow your own?
Turmeric Vs Saffron
While saffron and turmeric are often compared due to their vibrant colors and culinary uses, they are completely different plants with distinct properties. Saffron comes from the dried red stigmas of the Saffron flower, whereas turmeric is a root of the Curcuma Longa plant, which is part of the ginger family. Saffron has a delicate, floral aroma and a slightly sweet, earthy taste, while turmeric is more peppery and bitter with a deep golden-orange color.
Another major difference is their cost—saffron is the world’s most expensive spice, while turmeric is widely cultivated and much more affordable. In cooking, saffron is commonly used in rice dishes, while turmeric is a staple in curries, soups, and health drinks like golden milk.
Is Saffron Perennial?
Yes, they are perennial plants! Once planted, these bulbs multiply yearly, providing a continuous harvest season after season. They bloom in the fall of their second year, grow foliage in the winter and spring, then go dormant in the summertime before starting their cycle again.
Each year the crocuses will multiply underground and will gradually increase your saffron yield (similar to other bulb plants). With the right location and soil, a few corms will soon become a larger harvest.
Why You Should Grow Saffron at Home
Grow a Luxury Spice for Less
Precious saffron threads can cost thousands per pound, making it unaffordable to use on the regular. By growing the saffron crocus flower at home, you can enjoy fresh, high-quality saffron for a fraction of the cost.
Each bulb (corm) produces multiple flowers each year, making it a sustainable and cost-effective option for home gardeners. You can purchase them at a variety of places but if you just want to try it out you can buy these saffron corms.
Organic & Chemical-Free Harvest
Many store-bought products can contain preservatives or artificial additives to extend shelf life. When you grow your own saffron, you have complete control over its production, ensuring it’s 100% organic and free from pesticides or chemicals.
Low-Maintenance & Hardy Crop
Saffron crocus is an easy-to-grow, drought-tolerant plant that thrives in a variety of climates. Don’t let the price keep you from growing it. Saffron requires:
- Minimal watering (in fact, too much moisture can cause root rot)
- Well-drained soil to prevent fungal diseases
- Full sun exposure for best flowering results
A Beautiful Flower in Your Garden
Saffron crocus produces these small stunning purple flowers with vibrant red stigmas, making it a gorgeous addition to any garden. These flowers bloom in mid-to-late fall, bringing color and beauty to your landscape when most other flowers have faded or grown brown. It can be grown in:
- Garden beds
- Raised planters
- Rock gardens
- Containers on patios or balconies
Saffron Has Multiple Uses
Growing saffron isn’t just about saving money—it’s about having access to a versatile and fun spice with many uses:
- Culinary: Enhances dishes like paella, risotto, curries, and desserts, and adds a golden color and rich aroma to foods.
- Health Benefits: Contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that support immune health, may have mood-boosting properties, and can be used to aid digestion.
- Natural Dye: Produces a beautiful golden-yellow dye for textiles.
- Cosmetics: Often used in skincare and beauty products for its antioxidant properties.
- Decor: I love to press the purple flowers after I have harvested the threads and use them for projects or decorating.
Health Benefits of Saffron
Saffron is not just a luxurious spice—it’s also packed with powerful benefits. Rich in antioxidants like crocin, crocetin, and safranal, it helps protect cells from oxidative stress and may reduce inflammation (source). It is also being studied for its mood-boosting properties, with some research suggesting it can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Saffron has also been linked to improved memory and cognitive function, making it a promising natural remedy for age-related mental decline (source). Additionally, it has been traditionally used to support eye health, digestion, and hormonal balance. Whether consumed as a spice, tea, or supplement, it offers a range of health benefits that go far beyond its culinary uses.
How to Grow Saffron in Your Garden
When to Plant Saffron and When to Expect a Harvest
Saffron crocus corms should be planted in late summer to early fall, ideally around early September (at least in 6b) and before the first frosts. The bulbs need time to establish themselves before blooming the next year. Patience is key when growing these purple beauties—you won’t get a harvest in the first year, but instead to following fall.
The plants focus on root and foliage development during their first growing season. By the second fall season, the saffron bulbs will mature and start producing vibrant purple flowers containing the tiny red saffron stigmas. With proper care, saffron bulbs will multiply each year, leading to an increasingly abundant harvest in the following seasons.
- Choose the Right Location
- Grows best in full sun
- Planting area should be well-drained, sandy, or loamy soil
- Ideal for USDA zones 6-9, but can be grown in containers indoors in colder climates
- Planting Saffron Crocus Bulbs
- Plant in late summer to early fall
- Plant bulbs 3-4 inches deep in your garden bed with the pointed end up
- Place bulbs 3-5 inches apart to allow room for growth
- Watering and Care Tips
- Water sparingly—saffron doesn’t like wet soil. That being said, I will be honest, my saffron got flooded one season and I thought it was a goner, but this hardy flower surprised me and came back even better!
- Fertilize with compost or a balanced bulb fertilizer
- Remove weeds to prevent competition for nutrients
Harvesting & Storing Homegrown Saffron
How to Harvest Saffron Threads
Saffron flowers only bloom once a year in the autumn (starting in the second year). Once fully bloomed, using tweezers, you can carefully remove the red threads at their base and lay them on a paper towel to dry. Each flower contains just three long crimson stigmas—these are the threads you want to save.
Drying & Storing for Maximum Freshness
Allow saffron threads to air dry in a warm, dark place for several days before storing. Store dried threads in an airtight glass container, away from heat and light. Properly stored saffron remains fresh and usable for up to two years.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even though this flower is pretty low-maintenance, you may still run into some issues occasionally which can affect growth or yield.
Bulb Rot
- Too much water, compacted soil, planted too deep, or poor drainage.
- Use well-draining soil and avoid overwatering. signs of bulb rot: soft or mushy bulbs, stinky smell in the soil, little or no sprouts after planting
- Plant in sandy or loamy well-draining soil, or try raised beds or containers
- Water occasionally, only when soil is dry (saffron is drought tolerant and prefers dry conditions)
Little Flowering
- Not enough sun or overcrowding. You may see lots of green grassy foliage, but no purple blooms.
- Make sure your saffron has full sun exposure (6-10 hours of direct sun) and bulbs are planted 3-5 inches apart.
- It takes a year for corms to mature enough to bloom, be patient! If your bulbs are mature, they may need some more space if they have become too packed and are competing for space, thin them out every 3-4 years by digging up and dividing the bulbs and replanting.
- Too much fertilizer – too much nitrogen can prevent flower growth (bone meal is said to be a great option)
Pests (rodents, rabbits, slugs)
- Bulbs are being eaten.
- Cover soil with mesh or plant bulbs a little deeper (up to 4″).
- Try sprinkling crushed red pepper, cayenne, or garlic powder around plants as rodents dislike the smell
- Use netting or reflective objects to deter birds away
- Sprinkle crushed egg shells or diatomaceous earth around the plants to help prevent slugs and snails
Growing this purple beauty in your garden is a rewarding, and easy way to enjoy this prized spice. With a little effort, you can grow your own organic, high-quality saffron for cooking, health, or even homemade skincare. Whether you have a large backyard or pots on a small patio, saffron should be your next flower to try. Why not start growing your own red gold?
FAQS
Saffron crocus bulbs usually bloom in their second year. Once mature, they will flower every autumn for several years.
It takes approximately 150-200 flowers to yield one gram of dried saffron threads.
Yes! Saffron can be grown in containers indoors as long as they receive plenty of sunlight and well-drained soil.
Not at all! Saffron is a hardy, drought-resistant plant that requires minimal care.
Store dried saffron in an airtight jar, away from direct sunlight and moisture, to preserve its flavor and potency.
I love this post! I’ve been wanting to grow saffron for years, and keep forgetting to order it. But you put it back in my mind and after reading your helpful guide, I am excited to finally get some and start growing them. They are such cool plants.
This is wonderful information! Now I want to go grow some saffron. Thanks for this resource.
I have never thought to try and grow saffron, but it would be such a great addition to my garden. Also, love that you can purchase bulbs on amazon.