Most varieties of plants have blooms of some kind, from the rare corpse flower to common wildflowers. When it comes to herbs, many gardeners struggle with how to handle the flowers. One gardener on social media explains all your options.
The scoop
Patrick Vernuccio (@thefrenchiegardener) is teaching people on Instagram how to grow food sustainably. Patrick has tips for a wide variety of issues, including how to use cardboard to protect your plants from the elements, and the best way to test your soil.
In one clip, Patrick shows viewers the ins and outs of basil flowers.
"If your basil begins to flower, should you cut them or leave them?" Patrick asks before explaining that if you remove the flowers, your basil will redirect its energy to growing more leaves. (This works in areas where it doesn't drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night.)
The flowers are edible and can be used to create basil water, as a topping on your favorite dish, or even to make an herbal tea.
Alternatively, if you leave your basil alone, it will produce seeds that can be planted next season. Patrick says that "each little flower contains new free basil seeds" after turning brown. Leaving the flowers on the basil plants also attracts pollinators, who do their part to help produce like tomatoes or cucumbers bountifully grow.
How it's helping
Starting a large backyard plot or even a small window planter can feel intimidating when you're inexperienced. It can take years to learn when to prune your plants or when to let them go to seed. However, back-to-the-basics tips like these help everyone — from the seasoned gardener to the brand-new grower.
While groups like Buy Nothing on Facebook or community seed banks help you score free seeds to get started, Patrick's hack is another way to keep the momentum going.
The potential savings don't stop there, either. In addition to providing mental and physical health benefits, growing your own food can save you hundreds of dollars a year on produce. If you don't have an outdoor space, there are plenty of vegetables you can grow right on your counter, including varieties of carrots perfect for small containers.
Growing herbs and other produce at home also reduces the environmental impact of your kitchen. Food from the grocery store often has to travel hundreds of miles to reach your plate. These so-called food miles are associated with significant carbon pollution.
According to one article published in Nature, this travel accounts for around 20% of the pollution created by the global food system.
What everyone's saying
Basil lovers on Instagram were thrilled to have advice for how to handle the flowers.
"Thanks, I wasn't sure what to do with my flowering basil," wrote one person.
Another added, "Wow, I didn't know that we can use the flowers as tea... thank you."
"I leave them as long as possible. The bees love them," someone else suggested.
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