Caper Seeds 0.1 g
€1.60
In stock
Caper/Capparis spinosa
The caper is a perennial, deciduous shrubby plant, known for its edible leaves and flower buds. It is used in salads, as a seasoning and pickled – and in recent years capers have become almost a standard ingredient in Greece's most popular salad, the Greek village salad (horiatiki)!
Capers thrive in warm, dry conditions; they need lots of sun and almost no humidity. They are sensitive to cold and wind, so they should be protected in winter. They need sandy or stony, well-drained soil.
You can recreate this by placing soil between stones or in a dry-stone wall so that water drains freely. Capers can withstand heat up to 40 °C, and cold as long as temperatures do not fluctuate too much. It is above all a plant of southern Europe and the Mediterranean, where the climate favours its growth.
Capers can be grown from seed or from cuttings. If you sow in a pot, transplant to the final position once the plant has 2-3 true leaves. After the first two years, once it starts producing, it needs regular pruning to encourage more buds. Capers are grown commercially mainly in Italy, Spain and Turkey. For a worthwhile harvest, capers are picked over a long period of at least 3 months.
Capers tolerate both poor soils and high temperatures.
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