Growing Ramps

Ramps are easy to grow, rewarding, and delicious! In today's video I'll show you the different ways we grow them in our gardens.

[@paulrickman2790]

I found a patch of these and carefully cut the leaves , leaving the roots and central stalks. I boiled them then strained there water and sautéed them in a pot with butter and salt and pepper. They have a unique flavor like a mix of spinach and asparagus , Delicious !!!

[@captiveroots3037]

They are a delicious spring treat!

[@rosakoko5049]

Beautiful beautiful food!!!

[@captiveroots3037]

Thank you! Ramps are such a treat every spring, and so easy to grow!

[@AandP4dummieslikeme]

I just bought some of these and I want to plant the bulbs. Thanks for this video :-)

[@captiveroots3037]

Thank you for watching! I hope it's helpful.

[@TheBearGrylz]

Your ramps look really healthy. Nice work

[@captiveroots3037]

Thank you! Mother Nature takes care of most of it! All we do is toss a few inches of shredded leaves on them each fall

[@oshhsuen9565]

I live in West Virginia ,its so common her. Its sad that I actually never had them so I ordered some seeds and I will be planting them in my yard soon.

[@FarWestNorthCarolinaSports]

I'm in NC. Dug nearly 50 today.

[@captiveroots3037]

They grow everywhere here in Western NY too! If you go into the woods in April they are all over.

[@Herhighness211]

I had an elderly Irish patient who got so angry with me and threatened to “toss the ramps.” She was shocked that I had no idea what she meant and dismayed that I had never heard of Ramps in my life. We became friendlier after that. Since then she has died and so I plan to plant some ramps in her memory. I wish she was still around cuz idk how to prepare ramps. She only told me “it’s in hot soup.”

[@captiveroots3037]

Ramps are like garlic and green onions mixed... Very strong onion flavor. Lots of great recipes online, but they are amazing in a creamy potato soup!

[@Herhighness211]

@@captiveroots3037 I have to figure out how to get my hands on some. I’m too impatient to wait from seed so maybe I can find some bulbs.

[@tracycrider7778]

@@Herhighness211look on Etsy!

[@kennethadam5107]

Good video. !!

[@captiveroots3037]

Thank you!

[@unimaginative_artist]

Jesus I have like 10acres of these things I didnt know they were 20$ a pound hahahah

[@captiveroots3037]

You're sitting on some green gold! LOL

[@tracygonzales3652]

I live in texas and I trade a friend in Ny jars of my pickled green beans and pickles for his pickled ramps! I may try to grow in a pot and keep on the porch or inside

[@captiveroots3037]

@@tracygonzales3652 definitely put them in the shade! Like no sun at all .. our "hot" sunny springs here are too much if they're in the full sun and that's NY state!

[@captiveroots3037]

It's crazy what they sell for in stores! That's why people go and clear out entire patches to sell, and why there's so much controversy about them... Around here there's no shortage of ramps in the woods, that's for sure!

[@tracygonzales3652]

@@captiveroots3037 I have one side of my house that is covered by trees. I bought seeds to try there (when I rains it stays wet there) and bulbs to try in some pots! I'll let you know next spring how it goes!

[@mammothworks]

Good video, I was hoping he'd talk about growing them from seed and how to have successful germination

[@captiveroots3037]

Thank you! To be honest, I've never grown them from seed myself but from what I've read they germinate the following season. So the seeds that dropped last summer will sprout this spring. But I don't have experience with that yet!

[@jef8528]

Where can I get seeds?

[@mammothworks]

@@jef8528 You can order then or you'll have to find a patch in spring, then go back in the fall about mid to late September and find their seed heads, pick them when they're dried and seed pods have started to crack open and show the black, round seeds. Prune off the seed heads with seeds into a bag and separate by hand later. Do a warm stratification (kept in dark at room temp) with a damp paper towel inside the plastic bag, for 2mo. After 2mo, put inside fridge for a 3mo cold stratification. About mid-late Feb, sow seeds into a seed starter tray. Not the one with individual cells, but an open tray, water from below to keep consistently moist, and keep in a greenhouse for germination..then when they look strong, transplant into a part shade, moist, prepared bed.. plant out in small groups, scoop up some seedlings with a trowel and scoot off seedlings into a shallow soil hole in the big bed, lightly tamp soil together around the transplants..water in with drip lines or water like a light but soaking rain...that's what I've gathered so far.

[@captiveroots3037]

@@jef8528 I'm not sure about seeds... I ordered the bulbs online. Bulbs will grow faster than seeds and generally be easier. You can also get bulbs by buying ramps at the grocery store and just chopping the bulb part off and planting it. Then you can eat the rest!

[@kinkycurlfriend4471]

Thanks. Very helpful. I have 10 bulbs coming in a few days and I want to give then the best chance at survival.

[@captiveroots3037]

Thank you for watching! As long as you plant the bulbs a couple of inches deep they will do great! Once ramps get going they are tough as nails. One tip: when we harvest, we just take 1 leaf from each plant, leaving the other 2-3 leaves and the stem/bulb. This helps the plant continue to grow and spread in future years.

[@kinkycurlfriend4471]

@@captiveroots3037 thank you. I’ll be planting tomorrow; my bulbs arrived today.

[@-_8809]

Their seed gets ripe in the early to late fall. You should plant it. And send me some!

[@AandP4dummieslikeme]

Our property is heavily wooded so I am planning to plant them under the many trees here. Does it matter what kind of tree you plant them under?

[@captiveroots3037]

Typically they grow under deciduous trees around here, so any non pine tree should work!

[@jwatkins672012]

Yes, in some areas, like Lady's Slipper, which is listed as endangered, ramps are rare due to overharvesting. This can be an issue with foraging in general. American Ginseng being another example over foraging. I'm a proponent of lazy foraging. Aka, learn how to grow the wild ones on your own property or in containers. Typically not hard to do.

[@captiveroots3037]

Me too, which is why I'm such a proponent of just growing your own! Here in western NY they are literally everywhere and will grow like crazy in most people's yards. I'll have to make an update video to show how they're taking over the garden bed I originally put them in

[@TheBlahblahblahblahh]

I got a bunch of ramps with bulbs included should I plant them now or wait till the fall?

[@captiveroots3037]

I would plant them now... You can eat the leaves and plant the bulbs. Leaves will wilt and die anyway most likely so they won't do much good for the bulb this year! They won't do anything else this season except possibly send up seeds but next spring they'll be back strong as ever

[@timothychang34]

If you're letting them grow larger clumps, do you have to cut them back in the winter or do you just let the leaves die back themselves?

[@captiveroots3037]

Ramps don't need any intervention at all... Just let them do their thing and they'll go crazy once established!

[@timothychang34]

@@captiveroots3037 thanks for the reply! But what if I want to eat the leaves? If I let them grow through the year, but pick them in the fall, in your experience, does it slow down clump formation? Is there an optimal time to pick, where the plant has had enough photosynthesis and can spare the leaves?

[@captiveroots3037]

@@timothychang34 That's what I've been doing for a few years now while they get established (picking a leaf or two from each plant but leaving the root and other leaves). It works great! Ramps will basically disappear for the season by Memorial Day around here. They're a very early crop. Once leaves drop they'll go to seed in early summer, so we just let them do that and continue to spread.

[@timothychang34]

@@captiveroots3037 thanks for the tip!

[@MMMadman0991]

Question.. how many sets can you get from say 2 foraged ramps?

[@captiveroots3037]

After a few years (4-5) you could have a nice little patch I would think, if you don't harvest anything and let them go to seed. It will take a while though!

[@TheBearGrylz]

I foraged some last year. Planted two. This year I have four growing. I will wait to harvest any. Thing is in western PA, I only know of one spot by river where they grow, and I spend a lot of time in dif forrests. Have only found one spot. But yea they will almost double in a healthy shaded spot by water. By a creek or river. Under trees in shade.

[@northeasthardytropicals541]

Do ramps die back to the ground after spring?

[@captiveroots3037]

They eventually do... First they'll send up a flower and then the leaves will start to yellow and eventually die back to the ground, leaving just the flower stalk above ground. The flower will open and drop their seeds late summer for us typically.

[@northeasthardytropicals541]

@@captiveroots3037 Nice thanks! I picked up some and thought I killed them lol.

[@captiveroots3037]

@@northeasthardytropicals541 I've planted just the root and bulb from grocery store ramps and now we have a nice patch just from them in one spot, they are tough as nails but only grow foliage in early spring. Yours will do great!

[@a_mustache_of_great_repute]

Can you grow them in pots?

[@captiveroots3037]

You can! Some of the ramps I show in this video are in a wooden grow box with a solid bottom, which is basically a wooden pot. In the future, I would use a fabric grow pot of at least 15 gallons. In fact, this fall I think I am going to start another pot of them, this time using the fabric grow bags. They are a lot easier to move, and you can never have too many ramps!

[@a_mustache_of_great_repute]

@@captiveroots3037 cool. Most of my yard is full sun, but i live in an attic room with good ventilation and low light

[@darlenechung8664]

HI, where did you order seeds from?

[@captiveroots3037]

I ordered from a site called Wild West Virginia Ramps. I think you have to order in October or November each year. I've ordered twice and both times they have been great quality!

[@captiveroots3037]

You can get a start this spring by buying fresh ramps in the grocery store, cutting off the bottom part where the bulb is, planting the cut off bulb, and eating the rest!

[@darlenechung8664]

@@captiveroots3037 Thank you....we're in Texas. I don't see them in grocery store here.

[@captiveroots3037]

@@darlenechung8664 It might be tough to grow them in Texas, depending on your growing zone...even here in NY State they like shade once the sun really starts shining in the spring, so I would imagine Texas would be a lot warmer

[@darlenechung8664]

@@captiveroots3037 Yes Texas is really hot in 100's during summer. Thanks for letting me know.

[@FarWestNorthCarolinaSports]

North facing

[@captiveroots3037]

They are on the north side of our fence. Here in WNY we don't have too many issues with them being baked in the sun before the trees leaf out but further south it might be more of an issue.

[@knuckle_dragger]

I want to eat some just for the farting effect