Bolting

We've had some very warm weather lately.  Here it is late December and it has been in the 80 degree range.  Needless to say, we haven't had to light up the fireplace in a while.  While running around in shorts enjoying a tropical December has its advantages, it definitely has its downside as far as the garden goes.

Many cold weather crops, when faced with warm temperatures that warm the soil unseasonably, undergo a phenomenon called bolting.  Bolting is a response of the plant to produce flowers and hence, seeds, prior to the crop being harvested.  When this occurs, the plant diverts energy away from the leaf or root system (the parts of the plant we eat), and concentrates all its energy toward the reproductive system, specifically flowering and seeding.

When the plant's energy is focused on producing seeds, the quality of the harvest is diminished.  For example, a broccoli's head will be smaller than normal prior to flowering.  Lettuce leaves will become bitter and as you might imagine, that signals the end of the fresh salad season for us.  I will, however, go ahead and save the seeds from the Black Seeded Simpson lettuce below once it fully flowers and produces seeds, and use them to plant next year's crop.

Lettuce in our garden bolting

The picture below shows a long flowering stem amidst the turnips.  According to what I've read, there are certain crops that are more prone to bolting, especially lettuce, beets, broccoli, cilantro, onions, spinach, etc.  We've learned to harvest quickly if we see it taking place.  It is caused by plant hormones that induce a plant to quickly flower and seed in response to temperature swings or stresses.  You might say it is the plant's attempt to survive and produce seeds that will yield more generations of seeds to grow more of its kind for our future enjoyment.  I think it is very cool how this can all be tracked back to Genesis 1:11-12:

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.

  

Turnips going to seed

There are plants that have been bred to be somewhat bolt resistant, but you can't really stop the process once it has begun.  the best thing to do is to harvest quickly, use mulch to keep the roots from getting too warm and give the plant water to reduce stress and high temperatures.  Below are a couple of shots of our bok choy bolting.   

Bolting bok choy

See the long flowering stems in the photo below?  These are all open pollinated, non hybrid seeds so I will try to see if I can save the seeds to plant again next fall.

Flowering bok choy

This next photo is my favorite.  I've been lamenting bolting as it shortens and rushes the harvest.  There are other members of God's creatures that LOVE bolting - the honey bees!  In the shot below, I captured five bees on one of the flowering boc choy.



Buzzing bees on beautiful bok choy blossoms


Well, speaking of bolting, I have to bolt off to eat and do chores!  Talk to you tomorrow.