edible flowers - garden organicgiveitagrow.gardenorganic.org.uk/sites/giveitagrow... · nasturtium...

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Flowers look lovely and some are edible too; a real must for any gardener – ensure you use organic seeds; seeds and plants that have been chemically treated are not suitable for consumption as flowers. Sweet Violet flowers have a fresh flavour and are used to flavour and colour confectionery and make a tasty, interesting garnish for salads, fruit salads and desserts. Chamomile is an attractive plant has daisy like flowers with a lovely apple like fragrance enjoyed in herbal drinks. Nasturtium flower petals are also edible. They taste quite peppery and are a great way to boost a salad. Warning: You must confirm that the flowers are edible. Some flowers are very toxic. Edible Flowers

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Page 1: Edible Flowers - Garden Organicgiveitagrow.gardenorganic.org.uk/sites/giveitagrow... · Nasturtium flower petals are also edible. They taste quite peppery and are a great way to boost

Flowers look lovely and some are edible too; a real must for any gardener – ensure you use organic seeds; seeds and plants that have been chemically treated are not suitable for consumption as flowers.Sweet Violet flowers have a fresh flavour and are used to flavour and colour confectionery and make a tasty, interesting garnish for salads, fruit salads and desserts.

Chamomile is an attractive plant has daisy like flowers with a lovely apple like fragrance enjoyed in herbal drinks. Nasturtium flower petals are also edible. They taste quite peppery and are a great way to boost a salad.Warning: You must confirm that the flowers are edible. Some flowers are very toxic.

Edible Flowers

Edible Flowers.indd 1 01/05/2015 13:59:19

Page 2: Edible Flowers - Garden Organicgiveitagrow.gardenorganic.org.uk/sites/giveitagrow... · Nasturtium flower petals are also edible. They taste quite peppery and are a great way to boost

Plant

Grow

1. To sow chamomile seeds almost fill a container with moist compost then thinly sow your seeds over the surface (sow 3-4 seeds per 3” pot). Cover seeds with a thin layer of compost and gently water in. 2. Violets can be grown from seed or by splitting larger plants. To sow from seed, keep the seeds in the fridge until you are ready to sow then sow thinly on the surface of seed compost. Transplant into pots once the seedlings are large enough to handle. When transplanting, ensure you move the plants with only their leaves or the root ball (it you snap the stem the plant may not recover).3. Nasturtiums will grow happily on a sunny windowsill; sow 1 seed per 5 cm pot, planting the seed 1.5cm deep.

Eat Both leaves and flowers can be used to make chamomile tea. Edible flowers are great for crystallising and using as cake decorations.

Chamomile likes full sun to part shade. During a really hot summer, it is worthwhile moving pots into a shadier place. Once the plant reaches around 4” (10 cm) high, cut back. Sweet Violets love quite a rich soil in a semi-shaded spot. Violets do well in containers but need to be placed in a cool position in summer. Nasturtiums love a sunny site. Protect them from frost and avoid very fertile soil to prevent excess leaves with few flowers. There are lots of varieties to try including Tom Thumb (good for small spaces) and Wina.

Growing tips

Compost to use:Potting or multipurpose compost, organic and peat-free. A loam based mix is best.Watering tips:Keep compost moist, but don’t over water. Support: None neededProtection: None neededFeeding: None needed

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Spring Summer Autumn

Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

Chamomile Sow

Chamomile Harvest

Sweet Violet Sow

Sweet Violet Harvest

Nasturtium Sow

Nasturtium Harvest

Edible Flowers

There will be less attacks by pests if plants are kept indoors in pots. Keep picking and remove seed heads to encourage more flowers.

Edible Flowers.indd 2 01/05/2015 13:59:19