Make room in your kitchen garden for something a little different. Skirret produces clusters of slender white roots with a sweet flavor reminiscent of carrots and parsnips. Roast them, simmer them in soups, or enjoy them boiled with a simple seasoning. This perennial vegetable also brings airy white flower clusters to the summer garden.
What You Get
One packet of 25+ Skirret seeds (Sium sisarum), harvested in 2025 and pre-stratified by the grower. This is a seed packet; roots and plants pictured show potential mature growth.
Growing at a Glance
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Plant type: Clump-forming perennial root vegetable.
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Light: Full sun.
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Soil: Deep, fertile, moisture-retentive soil with good drainage.
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Mature height: Approximately 3–4 feet, depending on conditions.
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Harvest: Allow roughly 6–8 months from sowing for an initial root harvest; development varies with climate and growing conditions.
Starting and Caring for Your Skirret
Start in trays in early spring, or follow the packet's guidance for outdoor sowing in your climate. The grower recommends germinating these pre-stratified seeds between damp paper towels in a closed bag at approximately 65–75°F, away from direct sunlight. Keep them moist and check regularly. Some may sprout in 2–4 weeks, while others can take up to 8 weeks.
Transfer sprouted seeds carefully into seed-starting mix and grow on before planting out. Follow the packet's sowing instructions. Keep young plants weeded and water during dry spells so the soil stays evenly moist.
Good to Know
Will it return each year?
Skirret is perennial in suitable conditions. When harvesting dormant plants in fall or winter, retain and replant part of the rooted crown to continue growing.
How do I prepare the roots?
Wash thoroughly and remove any tough, fibrous central core before cooking. Root thickness, texture, and yield vary between seed-grown plants.
