Growing Edible Flowers in Your Garden

Many herbs and vegetables, including mint, chives, runner beans, and courgettes, have edible flowers. There are numerous ways to use edible flowers, including fresh, dried, as a condiment, cooked, raw, and even pickled. They are also used in salads, cakes, cookies, and to decorate drinks. Some flowers are spicy, some are fragrant, some have sweetness, and some are herby. They add color, texture, and flavor to sweet and savory dishes. The best way to feel a true sense of their flavor is to start tasting them.

Edible flowers have many nutritional benefits as they are rich in beneficial antioxidants and contain a high amount of Vitamins A and C. People have been using flowers for drinks, food, and medicine for centuries. Now is the perfect time to grow edible flowers in your garden. They can be grown in small gardens, containers, and window jars. However, they're easy to grow and easy to care for, so anyone can grow these flowers in their garden and enjoy their benefits. Not only will they beautify your garden, but they can add exotic flavors to your food. 

If you're wondering how to grow edible flowers in your home garden and which ones are edible, read on to find answers to these questions in detail!

How to Grow Edible Flowers in Your Garden?

Growing edible flowers in your garden is like growing herbs or herbaceous plants. You can start with seeds, but a few flowers like roses are best bought as plants from the garden center. Sow the seeds in the ground or pot. Make sure to start with good-quality seeds and keep the layer of soil moist but don't overwater it to avoid damaged seedlings. In addition, grow the flowers in areas where there is little foot traffic.

When plants are big, harvest the flowers regularly to encourage more blooms. Harvest with clean and sharp scissors during the morning or evening. Once they're harvested, use them the same day or store them in the fridge in a closed plastic bag.

Watch out for insecticides and pesticides. Even if you use edible flowers from your garden, wash them thoroughly before using them. Also, taste the flowers before putting them in meals because different varieties of flowers have different flavors.

10 Edible Flowers to Grow

Here are ten edible flowers to grow in your garden:

Nasturtium

This is a well-known edible flower that is very easy to grow by seed. Nasturtium seeds are best planted in spring in warm soil. The flowers and leaves of nasturtium are edible.

They have a spicy flavor, so they go well in sandwich spreads, butter, and infused vinegar and are used to garnish salads and soups. In addition, Nasturtiums are found in various beautiful colors, including orange, red, yellow, pink, and cream.

Lavender

You have probably been familiar with lavender oil and its soothing scent, but it also has culinary uses. Like all herbaceous flowers, Lavender flowers are edible. They have a floral, sweet taste with a hint of citrus, mint, and rosemary combo.

Their flowers are used to decorate cakes. However, the lavender plant is a little tricky to grow from seed and is best grown from young cuttings from the garden center. Besides, they love to grow in hot, dry summers and cool winters.

Roses

Yes, you can eat roses growing in your garden. They have a floral, sweet taste with a slight spice. Out of hundreds of rose varieties, heirloom roses are the most fragrant and flavorful.

Roses are used in baking for both aesthetics and flavors. Additionally, they're good in ice cream, drinks, jelly, syrup, and vinegar.

Bergamot

Bergamot flowers are colorful and offer a mild, sweet flavor. These flowers have a strong spicy scent. They can be added as a garnish on salads and to flavor teas. Also, they complement bacon, rice, and poultry.

Cornflowers

Cornflowers are the cutest edible flowers with a spicy, sweet, almost clove-like flavor. They're used to make lovely salad garnish and decorating festive cakes. Cornflowers can provide a pleasing cobalt-blue color to your garden and kitchen. Their plants can grow from seed all year long easily. They love sunshine and can be grown in containers.

Pansies

Pansies are pretty little flowers that come in almost every color but purple, yellow, and white are common. These flowers look adorable on the cakes and top of sugar cookies, and you can sprinkle their petals on summer salads.

The petals of pansies are edible but have mild to no flavor. This edible flower is tricky to start from seed. So, you can look for its starts from an organic grower.

Lilacs

The purple and pink lilacs are best for culinary uses. Their flowers have a floral, scented flavor. Before using flowers, remove leaves and stems.

Lilac blossoms are used in drinks, syrups, and to decorate cakes. The Lilac fragrance in the garden can make your summer more enjoyable.

Chamomile

German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile are both edible. This flower has a floral, apple-like flavor that is often described as a little bitter. And they're found in white and yellow color.

Fresh Chamomile flowers can be used to garnish desserts, and dried flowers can be infused into tea and cocktails. They're perfect for planting from March to mid-May.

Calendula

Calendulas are annuals that look like daisies. Only the petals of these flowers are edible. Calendula flowers come in yellow or orange color, and their flavor is spicy, tangy, or bitter. They are good to use for salad garnishes and rice dishes.

Besides, they also look cute on top of cakes, and their petals are also used for medicinal reasons. You can use them as an alternative to pricey saffron to add yellow color to dishes.

Chives

Chive flowers are spiky and pretty and taste like onion and garlic. Therefore, they are great to use in savoring dishes like salads and scones. Also, they make a delightful topping for soups and spreads. Chive flowers come in a variety of colors, including pink, red, purple, and white.

The Bottom Line

Edible flowers make your garden beautiful and add aesthetics, color, and flavor to salads, desserts, soups, and drinks. The right flower can be a delightful addition to the dish, but carefully pick flowers before eating.

It isn't recommended to eat commercially grown flowers as they could have been sprayed with pesticides. Always eat flowers only when you're sure they're edible. Grow the edible flowers in your garden and enjoy the flavors and colors they can bring to your daily life.