Samphire

Germination

Sow indoors in spring. Surface sow onto moist, well-drained seed compost. Just cover seed with a sprinkling of soil. Place somewhere warm, ideal temp. 25°C. Germination takes 1-3 weeks approx. but can be erratic. Once seedlings are 2-3cm tall transplant to individual pots of free-draining sandy soil and grow on. Grow on under glass or acclimatise and place pots outside after danger of frost has passed.

Growing

Prefers a light, well-drained sandy soil in full sun. Samphire is best watered with a saline solution of 1 teaspoon of real sea salt dissolved in one pint (568ml) of water. Do not use table salt as this contains a caking agent which will kill the plant. Due to the plants salty requirements it is preferable to keep Samphire in a container or pot. Samphire is happy in a pot on a windowsill, container planted on the patio or in the garden. Keep the soil moist at all times. Harvest shoots from June-August, after which the shoots become woody.

Cultivation

This plant will self-seed freely. Treat as a cut and come again for harvesting, leaving about 4 weeks between each cut. When the Samphire stems turn red it indicates it is about to flower and set seed. If you wish to have volunteer seedlings allow this process towards the end of the growing season.