And so I wrote that I went for a edible flowers workshop in December and later I found some notes in my phone. Before I delete that note, let me transfer some notes I took that day and I am excited to share that the Cat’s Whiskers is growing well and I am looking forward to that first bloom. Also, I just bought a pot of Torenias, Begonias and Amaranths from Joanna, from w.w.edibles. The Torenias are gorgeous! In that exact shade of purple I have been looking for and the Amaranths are in another shade of purple. The Begonias though are still young and I hope they flower soon. These are all edible and I am looking forward to using them to decorate my bakes soon. Here’s a photo of my lovely Torenias.
Oh, the notes for the workshop.
Some edible flowers are Pansies, Violas, all Orchids, Hibiscus, all Roses, some Jasmines, Pumpkin flowers, Zucchini flowers, Magnolia, Queen of Night, Torenias, Amaranths and Begonias. This list is of course not exhaustive and even if the flowers are edible, please make sure they are pesticide free before sticking them in your bakes. You don’t want to poison your loved ones.
For nutrients, they are in the ratio of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). N is for good cell and leaves growth, suitable for plants like basil. For bright colours in flowers, go for soil with high P and K and low in N. To harvest, prune about a third of the stem, keep the flowers in the fridge. Roses need a lot of water and rosemary needs dryer conditions. Should black leaves be observed at the bottom of a rosemary plant, it is an indication of too much water.
During the workshop, we also scored some cut outs from Joanna’s garden. I took a mulberry cut out, a moringa cut out and a king’s spinach pod. To grow these cut outs, we were advised to remove most of the leaves, keep about 4 nodes of the stem and use 50% potting soil, 40% coco peat and 10% pear lite. The mulberry stems are not growing and moringa is also not showing signs of growing, but it needs a month in soil and I think it is hardly a month yet. The only thing that is growing really well is the Cat’s Whiskers and I was thrilled to see the growing plant. Looking forward to edible flowers!