Madder root is a traditional ancient dye plant native to the Middle East and Northern Africa. It’s a hearty, vigorous, easy-to-grow perennial and its roots produce very colorfast shades of pink and red. The most difficult part about growing madder perhaps is waiting because it takes three whole years for the roots to become mature enough to harvest before they can be used as a natural dye.

Quick Facts:

Perennial (to zone 5 if mulched)

Germination: 2 weeks

Seed planting depth: 1/2”

Light: Full or part sun

Spacing: 12”

Days to harvest: 3 years from planting

Height & width: 4’ x 3” (best to trellis)

Cultivation

Madder seeds can be planted directly into the spring garden or started indoors and transplanted out after the danger of frost has passed which is my preferred method. The seeds are slow to germinate taking as long as two weeks to emerge so don’t give up on them. Space (or thin) the seedlings about 1’ apart. Trellising isn’t necessary as the plants are going to thrive either way, but I prefer to have them grow upright rather than creeping all over the garden and taking it over. Madder totally takes over the garden if you’re not careful so beware!

Mulch the plants in fall with leaves raked from the yard to protect the roots from negative temperatures. When the plants emerge the next spring they will grow much larger and more vigorously than their first year. Keep the beds weeded and repeat by mulching in fall and weeding in spring and summer until three years have gone by. Madder stems have spiky hairs that get embedded in your skin so always be sure to wear long sleeves and garden gloves when handling them or you’ll end up with a gnarly rash.

harvesting & curing

At the end of the third summer, the roots should be big enough to harvest—about the thickness of a pencil. Dig them up with a shovel or digging fork. After harvesting wash the roots by spraying them with a garden hose, then use pruning shears to chop them into 1/2” pieces. Set the chopped roots out on a basket or screen to dry.

Once they’re completely dry store them in a jar and let them cure for about 6 weeks before making a dye bath with them. It’s really important that the roots are totally dry before storing them in a jar or they will become moldy and will be ruined. After they’re cured I like to grind them to a fine powder. In my book Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy, I explain in detail my favorite dye methods and recipes to achieve various depths of shade when working with madder. If you want to give Madder a try in your garden there’s a link below to purchase our seeds.