Before you became a gardener, you may never have heard the term “bolting” before.
At least, not in this particular context. Maybe you’re only now hearing the term tossed around by other gardeners for the first time and you’re wondering what it means.
I get you. Once upon a time, I was hearing that word for the first time, too.
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In this guide, you’ll learn all about what it means when gardeners say that a vegetable or herb plant has bolted. I think you’re going to fall in love with the term, as it’s quite the accurate visual!
Ready to get the skinny on this key gardening term and its potential effect on your harvest, so you’ll understand how to prevent and manage it?
Here’s what you’ll discover, up ahead:
What Is Bolting?First, the basics: when we say that a plant has bolted, what we really mean is that it has started the reproductive process. It’s developed a flower stalk, and is on the way to producing seeds. Another common term you’ll hear is that the plant is “going to seed.”
Instead of focusing on growing, it has now turned its full attention to reproduction. It’s dashing to the next step of its life cycle, hence the name.
For “vegetables” that are technically fruits, like squash, tomatoes, and eggplant, as well as our favorite legumes like lima beans and peas, flowering is a key part of the process. Without pollinated flowers, these plants wouldn’t produce the produce that we love to eat.
Leaves and root vegetables are a different story.
Going to seed is a perfectly normal process triggered by an intricate combination of factors, from day length to
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