Winter Eats!
Since this is the first time I have tried to overwinter one of these edible mums, I left the first bud on until it flowered....just long enough to take a picture.
Then I cut all the soon to flower stems off and brought them into the house to see if they will root in a glass of water. Although the rule in rooting is to remove the flowers which sap strength needed to go into roots, in this case I will see if a few more buds open for a bouquet.
This was a tiny edible chrysanthemum plant cowering under the red okra in the big pot round back all summer, but come December when I cut the okra, the mum took off. To prevent it from bolting I did the cut and come again bit, putting top shoots in my soup for several months until I missed a bud and now it is February and it has this flower.
Next year I should plan to have a whole hedge of these as both greens and flowers are tasty and nutritious.
The dead stalks behind this plant are from now defunct okra and jute.
Plans for next year include continually cutting the flowers off the just to prevent pod formation and allow branching out.
I very much like the Egyptian Spinach leaves, especially as microgreens, but have to keep them away from the cabbage plants or they may be attacked by tiny (hard to find until it is too late) cabbage worms.
Last summer I thought the little white butterflies flitting about my bok choy and other cabbage kin were cute so I left them alone, but now I know better. Apparently just a couple of them can lay hundreds of eggs!
As for the brown moths that produce the giant tomato worms, there too, forewarned is forearmed. I finally bought huge tweezers from an aquarium supply store and use them to pull the tomato worms off my tomatoes. Those worms seemed to like the Genovese tomato vines best.
I have not yet to find an insect pest associated with the edible mums.
The stems in this bouquet may or may not root, except for the nasturtium, which is just for show.
My chrysanthemum grow log is here.