My aim in A Floral Feast is to introduce you to a whole range of ornamental flowers, herb and vegetable flowers, flower seeds and flower foliage that you can grow yourself for eating. Some of them taste delicious and are highly nutritious, while others are on the list purely because they are beautiful, easy to cultivate and will bring something new and exciting into the kitchen. They can turn an ordinary looking plate of food into one that is a feast for the eyes.
CALENDULA POT MARIGOLD, COMMON MARIGOLD, ENGLISH MARIGOLD
A hardy annual with edible petals and leaves
HEIGHT & SPREAD 50 x 50cm (20 x 20in)
The cheerful daisy-like flowers of marigolds bring pops of joy to any growing space and can be used in multiple dishes to bring your food to life. As hardy annuals they are extremely easy to grow - simply divide a packet of seeds and sow half in the autumn and the remainder in the spring by scattering directly on to the ground. You will have flowers to pick throughout the summer and beyond. Calendula also performs well in small pots and containers as the roots remain shallow.
To keep plants compact and bushy, pinch out the top shoots to promote growth in the form of side shoots further down the main stem. Regular picking of the flowers will encourage more to come. If you notice that they have started to form seed heads early in the season, cut them off as they will prevent further flowering. At the end of the summer, you can remove and save some seed heads for resowing or simply leave on the plant. The seed will set in situ and then disperse naturally to make new plants in unexpected places.
Denne historien er fra April 2024-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
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Denne historien er fra April 2024-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!
