Growing capers

Nothing yet for me. I stratified them for a couple months and moved them to a warm area now. The package even said germination rate can be low so I’m not very confident.

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I have never tried.

They are weeds that pop up all over Malta and Italy. I wonder why they can be hard to germinate. Does not seem that way in Malta anyway.

Edit: Here is info about how to germinate the seeds, they need cold stratification, and they suggest a hot/warm water soak first, it does make sense to me, hot dry weather in Malta, followed by cooler weather would be similar to what they suggest Grow and Use Capers: Learn About the Caper Bush | Gardener's Path

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I bought seeds from Wanderlust last year and cold stratified, soaked, then put on a heating pad and still had 0% germinate. I wonder if they just don’t last long outside the pods and dried out?

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I was just reading if they dry out the odds of them germinating are much lower, whether it be a natural drying out, or an artificial drying out. If they dry out then that is when the warm water and then the cold stratification, then warm water soak again becomes necessary

Here is more good information about it From Seed To Table: Growing Capers From Seed

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I bought caperbush seeds from JL Hudsonseeds – they are stratifying in my fridge now and I am doing a total of 2 months stratification before transferring to media with a warm mat. I also bought GA-3 to help them germinate (recommended by the vendor) so I may apply that to half my seeds to evaluate any increases in germination. I’m not very optimistic but it is worth a shot! As a backup I will also try to pickle pre-flowering nasturtiums this season, as I understand they can be a substitute for capers.

edit: before stratification I did a hot water soak for 24 hours.

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I’d be very curious to hear how that goes! I tried something similar with my Umbellularia californica buds this year and they are still really tough, I think maybe they needed to be boiled for a bit before pickling. I took some photos of that attempt here:

Please report back if these sprout. I’ve also tried a couple time. I actually wonder if they did spout and I missed it. A couple of my pots have whispy threads that look like coir but more upright than I remember. But no green cotyledons.

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Having read all this, I went back last night and dug up five of my ten seeds and put them in the fridge to stratify. I’ll be sure to post if they do anything

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Can you see something sticking up here? This is the something that in hindsight, I wonder if I missed. Then cooked it by not moving it from heat mat to sunlight.

Ooo… maybe I just need to give it more time. They says germination can be as long as 3 months. I’m on week 7. :woman_shrugging:

Also, looking back at my picture. It probably all looks like coir. But there is one that looks a bit different to me. In hindsight and all.

I can’t see much in that picture.

This is surely one high maintenance plant for being a weed that grows all over Italy.

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@clarkinks I lied, I have a few sprouts!

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I think I must have a c-block this year. I was just going through my sad looking seed greenhouse, and the empty pots are labeled, caper, cardamom, caroway, and cumin. The later two, I am stumped. They aren’t exactly known for difficultly. But we’re old seeds.

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@Travis

Those look promising!

After seeing the best way to germinate dry caper seeds, I realized that in Malta the climate is very similar to that Germination process. At least southern Italy and Sicily have a very similar climate to Malta. Where they grow like weeds nature takes care of germinating the seeds that dry in the heat.

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Glad to have found this thread! I’m also trying tp grow capers for the first time this year. Got my seeds from Seeds of Italy, which is based in Lawrence, KS. They are the US distributor for Franchi.

Mine were stratified and were planted a couple weeks ago. Germination can apparently take 3-4 weeks, so I’m trying to be patient. :slight_smile:

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Man I never had Capers until recently

So good a smoky like taste

Most these posts I read are for sprouting

So these need a Mederainian climate

What would be the best practice for growing in pots?
put in garage or basement for the winter to let go dorment

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I am very Interested in capers Flavor

I plan to try this soon with pickling un developed Sow thistle buds
If it works for me I will abandon the idea of growing capers…

Another great treat is pickled sow thistle buds.

Simply pick flower buds before they have ever opened and drop them in leftover pickle juice. Let them soak for six weeks and they become a wonderful nibble, very similar to pickled capers.

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Caper plants do not like high humidity, so if you did keep them in the basement during the too cold weather I’d use a serious dehumidifier. I see that a lot of websites rate caper bushes as being happy down to zone 8 temperatures, down to about about 7 degrees Fahrenheit, some websites even say down to zone 7 temperatures, which would be down to about -3 degrees Fahrenheit. Is the garage insulated?

I just picked some sow thistle pods (didn’t plan on it I am busy)

The jar I have here says soaked in Citrus acid

I do have acid blend for vinification (wine making) ( tartaric /malic / citrus )
I may try lemon juice , and white wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

(I do have a few table spoons Red muscadine vinegar,
but that is too small the pulp is good in miso soup though (the Umami taste)
(I use the spend grape pulp of a 16 Ounce salsa jar,
and I may culture a large volume)

My basement is a constant 60 or so degree’s not Humid (how else would I age wine)

The house is over 100 years old so my garage is not insulated
(and do not want it to be)
Even so We have a patio
(one year when I was a teenager I slept in the house with the window open in winter, and it gets -20 (-28 C) for a few days a year)

I like the cold

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