Growing Saffron in Northern Pakistan
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Muhammad Zaheer
Posted on: October 01, 2009

Can I grow saffron in a northern area of Pakistan? Also please let me know the timetable of growing.

I do not have any climatic maps of your area, but I presume you are at fairly high elevation and since you are quite far inland, you probably have a land climate with severe winters and hot summers, with no spring or fall to speak of. Saffron can be grown out of doors in zones 6-8. It therefore cannot survive winter cold lower than -10 degrees Fahrenheit, or -23 degrees Celsius. If your summers are not too scorching, then you could plant the bulbs as soon as you can get in the ground in the spring and lift them as soon as the foliage has yellowed in late summer. Overwinter the bulbs in a cool, just barely frost free place, that has fairly high humidity.

I would suggest you try it with a small number first. If it turns out that pot culture is required for both the coldest part of the winter and the hottest part of the summer, then large scale growing is not economical.

How and from where shall I get its bulbs and how do I grow these bulbs in the northern area like (Abbottabad Mansehra or Azad Kashmir)

You can buy the bulbs from Richters, but do inquire at your Department of Agriculture what documents are required to import the bulbs.

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