How To Grow Edible Flowers And Plants

Sharing is caring!

On the JJ Barnes Blog, I check out tips from expert Huw Richards about how to grow edible flowers and pants.

I’ve never been very green fingered. I mow the lawn so my kids can play out, and I hack back the weeds so they don’t turn into Triffids and storm our house in a murderous rampage, but I’m definitely no expert. However, I do love food and being outside and I’m a vegetarian who eats loads of veg. So it would make sense that I become at least a little bit capable with growing food outside that I can then eat.

To help me out, kitchen gardener, author, and permaculture expert Huw Richards sent over some info into how to grow edible flowers and plants!

How To Grow Edible Flowers And Plants

This growing season, 44% of Brits will plant and grow fruit and vegetables in their gardens. According to YouGov’s research for the Readly digital magazine and newspaper app, while strawberries, tomatoes, and potatoes are the top three fruits and vegetables that people are growing in their gardens this year, edible flowers are also popular.

Readly gardening expert and gardener Huw Richards shares seven tips for growing your own edible flowers:

Pick varities that flourish in your current environment

Nasturtiums, pansies, borage, calendula, dahlia, cornflower, and even roses (yes, really!) can be found in the UK. In addition to being stunning, these flowers also impart a delightful flavor to your dishes.

Always begin with good soil

To provide a healthy foundation for your edible flowers, make a soil mix that drains well and is enriched with organic matter. They also enjoy basking in the sun whenever it is available.

Think of your whole garden and pollinators

Plant eatable flowers close to herbs and vegetables in your garden. This maxmises space as well as makes a useful environment that upholds pollinators and deters pests.

Harvest at the right time

When your edible flowers are fully open but before they begin to wilt, harvest them. This is typically when the flavor and appearance are at their best. Make certain to remove any green parts or sepals prior to eating.

Be adventurous with your meals

To enhance the visual appeal of your dishes, use edible flowers as garnishes or in salads, desserts, and cocktails. Be daring and experimental with various flavor mixes to boost your culinary experiences.

Grow a herb garden

To complement your edible flowers, plant a herb garden full of chives, rosemary, thyme, mint, coriander, basil, and fennel. These are also excellent for attracting in useful insects.

Eat vegetable flowers

Squash, radish, leeks, expansive beans, pea, sprinter beans, kale and purple growing broccoli are additional palatable blossoms to appreciate eating.

Kitchen Gardening

In terms of the amount of time they plan to devote to kitchen gardening this year, almost one in ten people, or 8%, anticipate spending between 6 and 8 hours per week in their garden. One third, or 22%, will devote 1-2 hours or 3-5 hours each week.

The following are the top ten vegetables and fruits that respondents in the UK said they would grow at home this year:

1. Strawberries
2. Tomatoes
3. Potatoes
4. Raspberries
5. Apples
6. Cucumber
7. Blueberries
8. Rhubarb
9. Runner beans
10. Blackberries

There is a magazine or article on the Readly app for every kind of gardener, from the novice to the expert, from the owner of an allotment to the balcony or window box.

Huw Richards

Huw Richards is a grounds-keeper, creator and a main voice in permaculture and kitchen gardens. Huw has written three best-selling gardening books, earning him widespread acclaim and recognition as an authority in his field. His successful YouTube channel, with over 700,000 subscribers, has helped him become a well-known figure in the gardening community over the years. From composting and raised bed success to no-dig gardening methods, his books cover a wide range of topics.

Huw has shifted his focus to an exciting new growing project in the middle of Wales in recent years. Dan Yr Onnen, which means “under the ash tree” in Welsh, is the name of the new site. It is a big project that reflects Huw’s passion for sustainable agriculture and his desire to help the community.

Readly

Readly is the leading digital magazine in Europe. Customers can subscribe to the company’s digital subscription service for a fixed monthly fee and have unlimited access to 7000 national and international magazines through a single app. Readly has content available in 17 languages and subscribers in 50 nations.

As a team with around 1,200 distributers around the world, Readly is digitizing the paper and magazine industry.

Conclusion

Hopefully when I find a new home for myself and my daughters, we’ll have a little garden. Perhaps now I’ll be able to try being more adventurous than just hacking back the weeds. What about you? What tasty treats are you thinking of growing?