They estimate an acre of saffron grown in high tunnels could bring in $100,000 a season. UVM researchers said the yields amounted to $4.03 a square foot, compared to $3.51 a square foot for tomatoes, and $1.81 a square foot for winter leafy greens. UVM researchers said the yields amounted to $4.03 a square foot, compared to $3.51 a square foot for tomatoes, and $1.81 a square foot for winter leafy greens. They estimate an acre of saffron grown in high tunnels could bring in $100,000 a season. They estimate an acre of saffron grown in high tunnels could bring in $100,000 a season. On the other hand, most recipes only require a few strands of dried saffron, so production from a square foot of growing space is usually sufficient for most … With all these items to consider, the University of Vermont grew their saffron in milk crates lined with landscape fabric. Saffron is one of the world’s most expensive spices, adding up to $5,000 per pound at wholesale rates, or around $11 per gram, with some United States-grown saffron costing as much as $75 per gram. Just click to download the calculator. The calculators below will help with many of these questions. Each saffron corm usually produces between one and three flowers in a season so yields per square foot are perhaps one of the lowest of any hydroponic plant. Photography: URI Saffron Project. Each crate covered 1 square foot and enabled the grower to move them with the seasons to use the readily available space in the fall and move elsewhere during the busy growing season. The stigmas from each flower must be trimmed off, neatly and quickly. Saffron yields amount to $4.03 per square foot, compared to $3.51 for tomatoes and $1.81 for winter leafy greens, according to University of Vermont researchers. Saffron is one of the world’s most expensive foods—ranking up there with truffles and caviar and costing as much as $1,500.00 per pound. They estimate an acre of saffron grown in high tunnels could bring in $100,000 a season. While small saffron growers exist in the U.S., particularly in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Maine, the university believes the more growers the better. Article Continues After Advertisement They estimate an acre of saffron grown in high tunnels could bring in $100,000 a season. When growing vegetables in a garden or on a farm it’s always important to know how much seed is needed, when to plant, how much to plant and yield expectations. They estimate an acre of saffron grown in high tunnels could bring in $100,000 a … Interactive crop calculators for farmers and gardeners. This is because each flower yields only three delicate strands and harvest is manual and painstaking. UVM researchers said the yields amounted to $4.03 a square foot, compared to $3.51 a square foot for tomatoes, and $1.81 a square foot for winter leafy greens.