Japanese Indigo "Chijimiba" seedling
(Persicaria tinctoria)
Growing your own blue is intensely satisfying! There is nothing quite like watching your project oxidize from a murky yellowish green to crisp blue before your very eyes!
Chijimiba Japanese Indigo: This uniform variety is upright and has dark-green, waxy leaves with a cute crinkle to the leaf margin. We’ve heard it referred to as “ripple-leaf” indigo. The strong waxy leaf makes it a great candidate for fresh leaf dyeing because the leaves are slower to break down after harvest. This same trait means it needs a higher minimum temperature for fermentation extraction, as the leaf will resist fermentation for longer than other varieties. Our seed stock for this variety came from Britt Boles of Seaspellfiber, who is a phenomenal resource for all things indigo!
Plant 1' apart after the danger of frost outside has passed. After your plants become productive, you can cut and come again throughout the season.
If you are new to dyeing with indigo, Fibershed has some incredible educational materials on their website, including this PDF The Production of Indigo Dye from Plants (which is what we follow for fermentation extractions).
If you want a quick and easy indigo project that doesn’t require any chemicals, fermenting, or reducing, fresh leaf indigo dyeing is a great gateway project, and Liz Spencer of The Dogwood Dyer has a great tutorial for this method found here.
(Persicaria tinctoria)
Growing your own blue is intensely satisfying! There is nothing quite like watching your project oxidize from a murky yellowish green to crisp blue before your very eyes!
Chijimiba Japanese Indigo: This uniform variety is upright and has dark-green, waxy leaves with a cute crinkle to the leaf margin. We’ve heard it referred to as “ripple-leaf” indigo. The strong waxy leaf makes it a great candidate for fresh leaf dyeing because the leaves are slower to break down after harvest. This same trait means it needs a higher minimum temperature for fermentation extraction, as the leaf will resist fermentation for longer than other varieties. Our seed stock for this variety came from Britt Boles of Seaspellfiber, who is a phenomenal resource for all things indigo!
Plant 1' apart after the danger of frost outside has passed. After your plants become productive, you can cut and come again throughout the season.
If you are new to dyeing with indigo, Fibershed has some incredible educational materials on their website, including this PDF The Production of Indigo Dye from Plants (which is what we follow for fermentation extractions).
If you want a quick and easy indigo project that doesn’t require any chemicals, fermenting, or reducing, fresh leaf indigo dyeing is a great gateway project, and Liz Spencer of The Dogwood Dyer has a great tutorial for this method found here.
(Persicaria tinctoria)
Growing your own blue is intensely satisfying! There is nothing quite like watching your project oxidize from a murky yellowish green to crisp blue before your very eyes!
Chijimiba Japanese Indigo: This uniform variety is upright and has dark-green, waxy leaves with a cute crinkle to the leaf margin. We’ve heard it referred to as “ripple-leaf” indigo. The strong waxy leaf makes it a great candidate for fresh leaf dyeing because the leaves are slower to break down after harvest. This same trait means it needs a higher minimum temperature for fermentation extraction, as the leaf will resist fermentation for longer than other varieties. Our seed stock for this variety came from Britt Boles of Seaspellfiber, who is a phenomenal resource for all things indigo!
Plant 1' apart after the danger of frost outside has passed. After your plants become productive, you can cut and come again throughout the season.
If you are new to dyeing with indigo, Fibershed has some incredible educational materials on their website, including this PDF The Production of Indigo Dye from Plants (which is what we follow for fermentation extractions).
If you want a quick and easy indigo project that doesn’t require any chemicals, fermenting, or reducing, fresh leaf indigo dyeing is a great gateway project, and Liz Spencer of The Dogwood Dyer has a great tutorial for this method found here.