To get the most produce out of each plant....here at the farm we like multitasking- while harvesting basil, sometimes you may come across a plant that is not necessarily tall enough to harvest, but you may notice that it has a tower that is flowering at the top- cut off the triangular tower. Making seeds expends a great deal of the plant's energy- energy that could go towards more growth in the plant rather than reproduction.
Though we harvest a great deal of calendula (to sprinkle the petals in our salad mix), a number of flowers die before we can use them. After the flower petals fall off, seeds form in the head (more noticeable in other flowers, such as sunflowers) and by snipping off these past-due flowers, you can shift the plants energy back to producing more buds. This is called "dead heading."
Calendula, dead head on the right
It is sad to think that my internship at City Farm will soon be over.. I have learned so much and met so many generous and good natured people while working at the farm..
No comments:
Post a Comment