Salsify · 'Ākra, Nineveh, Iraq

When to plant salsify in 'Ākra

Main outdoor window

11 Feb - 4 Mar

A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.

Timed from last spring frost

25 February

In 'Ākra, on your chosen risk.

Ready to pick

11 Jun - 11 Jul

If you plant at the start of the window.

The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.

Step by step in 'Ākra

Download these planting dates (.ics)

Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.

Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.

Sow direct

11 Feb - 4 Mar

Two weeks before your last frost.

Harvest

11 Jun - 11 Jul

Frost tolerance
Very-hardy
Damaged below
-15°C (5°F)
Days to maturity
120–150
Min soil temp
7°C (44.6°F)
Spacing
10 cm
Sowing depth
15 mm (0.6 in)
Sun
Full

Salsify through the year

Against the frost risk in 'Ākra

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Frost risk Sow direct Harvest Today
Open My Garden

Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in 'Ākra

March has the highest average precipitation (58 mm); July has the lowest (2 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 47 mm
Feb 40 mm
Mar 58 mm
Apr 50 mm
May 22 mm
Jun 4 mm
Jul 2 mm
Aug 2 mm
Sep 2 mm
Oct 23 mm
Nov 37 mm
Dec 45 mm

During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.

Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.

Monthly growing conditions in 'Ākra

Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.

NASA POWER climate averages, 1995–2024
MonthAverage lowAverage highFrost days
January 1.5°C (34.6°F) 11.9°C (53.4°F) 9.0
February 2.4°C (36.3°F) 14°C (57.2°F) 6.4
March 6°C (42.8°F) 18.7°C (65.7°F) 1.1
April 11°C (51.7°F) 25.1°C (77.2°F) 0.1
May 16.8°C (62.2°F) 32.2°C (89.9°F) 0.0
June 22.7°C (72.9°F) 39.4°C (103°F) 0.0
July 26.7°C (80°F) 43°C (109.5°F) 0.0
August 26.6°C (79.8°F) 42.6°C (108.8°F) 0.0
September 22°C (71.7°F) 37.3°C (99.2°F) 0.0
October 16.2°C (61.1°F) 29.8°C (85.6°F) 0.0
November 8.4°C (47.1°F) 20.2°C (68.3°F) 0.6
December 3.7°C (38.6°F) 14.2°C (57.6°F) 4.6

For salsify, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.

Local growing check

Before choosing salsify for 'Ākra

  • March is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 58 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.

Before you plant salsify

Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.

  • Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 7°C (44.6°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
  • Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
  • Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.

Prepare a deep bed and lift salsify without snapping roots

Sow into prepared soil and thin seedlings so roots are not tightly crowded. Keep establishment moisture steady and distinguish the fine young leaves from weeds before hoeing.

Loosen soil well below the root before lifting instead of pulling the foliage alone. Use roots before they become damaged or dry out, and follow suitable kitchen preparation. If plants are left into a second year, expect flowering and possible self-seeding rather than the same root crop.

What to record this season

How many roots were straight, usable and lifted intact? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.

Further reading: RHS salsify growing guide . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.

The RHS reference is written for UK growing conditions. Use its cultivation advice with local seasonal guidance; UK sowing months are not worldwide planting dates.

How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy

Why these dates

Sow into prepared soil and thin seedlings so roots are not tightly crowded. Keep establishment moisture steady and distinguish the fine young leaves from weeds before hoeing.

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.

This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Salsify are timed for direct sowing 2 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for 'Ākra.

The median frost-free season here is 291 days, against 120 to 150 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.

See every crop timed for 'Ākra →

Growing salsify in 'Ākra

Can I grow salsify in 'Ākra?

The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. March is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 58 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

When should I plant salsify in 'Ākra?

Aim for 11 Feb - 4 Mar in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 12 Mar - 2 Apr - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

When might salsify be ready to harvest in 'Ākra?

The estimated period is 11 Jun - 11 Jul, based on 120 to 150 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.

How much frost will salsify tolerate?

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.