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The crocus copes with hard conditions, but a few things it insists on.",{"type":15,"tag":30,"props":31,"children":33},"h3",{"id":32},"climate-and-soil",[34],{"type":21,"value":35},"Climate and soil",{"type":15,"tag":37,"props":38,"children":39},"ul",{},[40,52,62,72],{"type":15,"tag":41,"props":42,"children":43},"li",{},[44,50],{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":46,"children":47},"strong",{},[48],{"type":21,"value":49},"A hot, dry summer.",{"type":21,"value":51}," The flower buds form in summer heat; summer rain and wet soil rot the corm.",{"type":15,"tag":41,"props":53,"children":54},{},[55,60],{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":56,"children":57},{},[58],{"type":21,"value":59},"A cool autumn.",{"type":21,"value":61}," Cooling air starts the flowering.",{"type":15,"tag":41,"props":63,"children":64},{},[65,70],{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":66,"children":67},{},[68],{"type":21,"value":69},"Free-draining soil.",{"type":21,"value":71}," Sandy loam that doesn't hold water, chalky or neutral. Heavy, waterlogged soils are saffron's worst enemy.",{"type":15,"tag":41,"props":73,"children":74},{},[75,80],{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":76,"children":77},{},[78],{"type":21,"value":79},"Sun.",{"type":21,"value":81}," Leaves that get winter sun build up next year's corms.",{"type":15,"tag":30,"props":83,"children":85},{"id":84},"from-planting-to-harvest",[86],{"type":21,"value":87},"From planting to harvest",{"type":15,"tag":24,"props":89,"children":90},{},[91],{"type":21,"value":92},"Corms are planted 10–15 cm deep at the end of summer, while the soil is still warm. Rain is usually enough; in a dry autumn, watering after planting and before flowering will do. The flowers are picked by hand every morning through October and November.",{"type":15,"tag":24,"props":94,"children":95},{},[96],{"type":21,"value":97},"Planted corms stay in the same field for three or four years. They multiply each year and in time crowd one another. Then they're lifted, sorted by size and planted in another field. Replanting the same ground straight away feeds soil-borne disease.",{"type":15,"tag":30,"props":99,"children":101},{"id":100},"what-makes-the-field-hard",[102],{"type":21,"value":103},"What makes the field hard",{"type":15,"tag":37,"props":105,"children":106},{},[107,117,127,137],{"type":15,"tag":41,"props":108,"children":109},{},[110,115],{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":111,"children":112},{},[113],{"type":21,"value":114},"Corm rot.",{"type":21,"value":116}," Soil fungi rot the corm and travel from field to field with the corms.",{"type":15,"tag":41,"props":118,"children":119},{},[120,125],{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":121,"children":122},{},[123],{"type":21,"value":124},"Rodents.",{"type":21,"value":126}," Mice and voles eat the corms.",{"type":15,"tag":41,"props":128,"children":129},{},[130,135],{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":131,"children":132},{},[133],{"type":21,"value":134},"Weather.",{"type":21,"value":136}," Rain or frost in the week of flowering can spoil a year's harvest.",{"type":15,"tag":41,"props":138,"children":139},{},[140,145],{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":141,"children":142},{},[143],{"type":21,"value":144},"Labour.",{"type":21,"value":146}," The harvest is squeezed into a few weeks and done entirely by hand: bending, every morning, flower by flower.",{"type":15,"tag":16,"props":148,"children":150},{"id":149},"soilless-indoors",[151],{"type":21,"value":152},"Soilless: indoors",{"type":15,"tag":24,"props":154,"children":155},{},[156,158,163],{"type":21,"value":157},"Growing indoors takes advantage of one feature of saffron: ",{"type":15,"tag":45,"props":159,"children":160},{},[161],{"type":21,"value":162},"it needs no soil to flower.",{"type":21,"value":164}," The corm carries everything the flower needs in its own store. 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In soilless systems, the roots are fed by mist (aeroponics) or by periodic flooding (ebb and flow).",{"type":15,"tag":24,"props":195,"children":196},{},[197],{"type":21,"value":198},"Some growers do only the flowering indoors and plant the corms back in a field to grow them on. Tarming House runs both stages indoors.",{"type":15,"tag":30,"props":200,"children":202},{"id":201},"the-saffron-programme-at-tarming-house",[203],{"type":21,"value":204},"The saffron programme at Tarming House",{"type":15,"tag":24,"props":206,"children":207},{},[208],{"type":21,"value":209},"At Tarming House, every cell lives the saffron year by the programme below. 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