[Hose A]

Hi all,

I sowed 5 rows of salsify across my 4ft bed this spring not really knowing what to expect except what I'd seen in books etc, right now the foliage is so dense it's unbelievable and the roots so long I have yet to get a complete plant out of the ground without snapping a little of the end, I've even dug around each root a spades depth down but they still snap, i guess i should be happy they've been a success but it's really annoying to leave a little in the ground......... has anyone had a similar experience and solved the problem?

cheers

[Yorkie]

How dry is your soil?  Sometimes that has an impact on getting crops out of the ground.

[Hose A]

Hi yorkie, because of the overflowing thick foliage the soil is quite damp but very soft and easy to dig into with a spade or trowel.

[sunshineband]

I grew salsify for the first time last year (seeds were present from one of my grand daughters) and like you found it almost impossible to dig whole.

I even tried soaking the ground the night before as well.

In the end I had to get the roots out in sections, but as I would have had to cut it up to get it in the saucepan to cook that was OK

Just didn't look as nice

[bigben]

I have similar problems with my parsnips - many end up snapped or have fork marks in them. They still taste ok but dont look as nice.