Scorzonera is a perennial grown for its root, ready to pull about 120 days after sowing. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees, even though the root is the prize.
Zones
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pH Range
6-7.5
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
120
Score Scorzonera on your exact land.
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What Scorzonera is
Scorzonera grows as a perennial and reaches around three feet at maturity. It blooms yellow in summer.
How to grow Scorzonera
Scorzonera is ready to harvest about 120 days after planting. Scorzonera does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 6 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,400 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 120 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
Data pending
Soil pH
6 - 7.5
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Days to Maturity
120 days
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
1400+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
3 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
120+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Sow directly
Sow scorzonera seed straight into the bed — root crops germinate fast and resent transplanting. Give them full sun.
Match the soil
Scorzonera prefers pH 6 to 7.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Scorzonera is ready about 120 days after sowing (University Extension production guides). Pull while roots are young and tender — sweeter than oversized ones.
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — scorzonera isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Scorzonera offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest scorzonera, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant scorzonera for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Where Scorzonera thrives
Whether scorzonera thrives on a given site comes down to its soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates — the conditions that vary parcel to parcel.
See if Scorzonera will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether scorzonera actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Scorzonera in my zone?
Zone data for scorzonera is being finalized. A Growable Ground report checks your parcel's full suitability against federal soil, climate, and zone data.
How long does Scorzonera take to grow?
Scorzonera is ready to harvest about 120 days after planting (University Extension production guides). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Scorzonera?
Scorzonera is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Scorzonera need?
Scorzonera needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Scorzonera need?
Scorzonera prefers soil pH 6 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Scorzonera attract pollinators?
Yes — scorzonera's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Is Scorzonera safe for pets?
Scorzonera is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)