first when growing saffron indoors you will want to acquire the bulbs make sure you buy from a reputable seed house and that the bulbs are saffron crocus and not autumn meadow crocus to figure out how many corms to order the general rule of thumb is three threads per person times the number of people in the family times the number of saffron dishes made per year for example if a family of four has saffron dishes once every two months or so they need 24 plants crocus of any sort will rot if planted in wet soil so planting saffron crocuses inside will ensure the bulb or calms do not rot your bulb purveyor will send them to you at the correct time for planting and or consult with them regarding your climate and location but they should be planted in the fall lay one to two inches of either fine gravel or coarse sand at the bottom of a six-inch planter fill the remainder of the container with rich well-draining potting medium dig a 2 to 3 inch hole and place the corm root side down points facing up into it then cover with soil space the bulbs 2 to 3 inches apart situate the saffron crocuses inside in a cold room of between 35 48 f29 see where they will get 4 to 6 hours of Sun each day lightly water the bulbs every other day until the grass like foliage begins to die back usually around April at this time move that container to a warmer area to simulate spring temps of between 57 DF 1021 C dot during care of saffron crocus at this stage should be reinitiated restart the every other day watering regime stigmas from the flowers there will be three per flower must be harvested from the blooms the same day they open snip open flowers from their stems and tweeze the saffron thread from the bloom then lay the thread on a paper towel to dry watch out for breezes or drafts dot store the threads in an airtight container devoid of moisture to use your saffron either toast the strands and then grind into a powder or infuse them in a liquid for use in your favorite paella trim back the foliage only when you are positive the plant is no longer flowering new buds should break the soil within one to seven days after the first bloom on occasion a second rarely a third may arise from the same plant at this point stop any irrigation and move the containers of crocus back into the cold room while dormant from April through September while dormant do not water the crocus remember the corms will multiply each year so eventually you may have more than you need give them to another saffron lover as a gift the plants can live up to 15 years but it's best to refresh them by digging up dividing and replanting every four to five years be patient it takes an entire year before the first flowers appear