Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Prev Next. Dandelion Prev Next. Vegetable Recipes: Find delicious recipes that feature dandelion. Vegetable Gardens : Grow a full harvest of great vegetables this year. Gardening : We answer your questions about all things that come from the garden. Cite This! Print Citation. The dandelion is thought to have originated in Europe and Asia, but it is a common weed in most temperate parts of the world.
Of its medicinal qualities, the English physician Culpeper wrote:. It is of an opening and cleansing quality, and therefore very effectual for the obstructions of the liver, gall and spleen, and the diseases that arise from them, as the jaundice, and hypochondriac; it openeth the passages of the urine both in young and old; powerfully cleanseth imposthumes and inward ulcers in the urinary passages, and by its drying and temperate quality doth afterwards heal them; for which purpose the decoction of the roots or leaves in white whine, or the leaves chopped as pot-herbs, with a few alisanders, and boiled in their broth, are very effectual.
And whoever is drawing towards a consumption, or an evil disposition of the whole body, called cachexia, by the use hereof for some time together, shall find a wonderful help. It helpeth also to procure rest and sleep to bodies distempered by the heat of ague-fits, or otherwise.
The distilled water is effectual to drink in pestilential fevers, and to wash the sores. The plant has well documented diuretic properties, thus the folk name piss-a-bed, and the French pissenlit. No wonder. This is also the reason why dandelion seeds continue to be ordered alongside beets and basil seeds.
Cultivated dandelions, grown with care in a garden row, produce beautiful, tall foliage, and perfect, almost parsnip-like taproots. The flowers are easier to collect at the stage needed — unopened for wine, just-open for salads.
It feeds pollinators and it can feed us. It is a useful indicator plant of compacted soil. It is a perennial that deserves a spot in the permaculture garden. And it should be a welcome guest in our lawns, and as a harbinger of spring. Timing Direct sow from early March to early September.
Seeds take days to germinate. The flowering process begins 56 to from sowing, and continues for the life of the plant.
Starting Sow short rows every two weeks for a constant supply. Be careful not to plant more than you can use, as the flowers need to be controlled. Do not bury the seeds, as light helps to break dormancy. Growing Dandelions are perennial, so in theory, they can produce over a very long time. Preventing the flowers from going to seed is essential for obvious reasons — uncontrolled growth can result in them spreading as noxious weeds.
For the best leaves, grow in rich, fertile soil with good drainage. The rosette of leaves can be a food plant for the caterpillars of some butterfly and moth species. Dandelion grows in a rosette. A flush of bright yellow flowers are produced very early in the spring. Even though its flowers are more conspicuous early in the season, it will bloom almost throughout the year. Each solitary inflorescence consists of numerous ray and disc flowers borne together in a daisy-like flower on the end of a smooth, hollow stalk.
The stem contains milky latex sap. The length of the flower stalk varies considerably depending on the conditions. The fat green buds L open C to expose all the numerous ray and disc flowers R. The flowers are utilized by bees and other pollinators and can be an important nectar source early in the season when few other flowers are blooming. The flowers are used by bees and other pollinators and can be an early source of nectar.
The flowers are followed by the distinctive globe-shaped seed heads. Each seed has a pappus, a feathery parachute of soft, white hairs that makes it easily carried by the wind. Each plant can produce up to 20, viable seeds. The fleshy tap root allows the plant to survive drought and regrow readily.
Dandelion can also reproduce vegetatively from pieces of tap-root, with the upper sections of the root having greater viability. Depending on your perspective, dandelion is either a weed or wild vegetable that is more nutritious than broccoli and spinach. Though never cultivated as a vegetable in Europe, plants were brought to market in England in the 19th century when lettuce and endive were scarce.
Dandelions also appear on the menu in some locations. The tender young leaves make a good subsitute for other greens in salads. Nearly all parts of this plant can be eaten. Regardless of which part you intend to eat, make sure the dandelions have not been treated with chemicals and wash them thoroughly to remove all soil and insects from the underside of the leaves or roots. The leaves, which are high in calcium, potassium, and iron, are best when they are young and tender, and are most flavorful in early spring before the first flower buds appear.
The roots can be eaten as a vegetable with a turnip-like flavor if dug in early spring. Be cautious of ingesting too many roots as they are reported to be both a diuretic and a laxative. The leaves, flowers and roots of dandelion are edible. Blossoms, too, can be eaten fresh and are sweetest when picked early in the season. They should be used immediately after picking because the flowers will close up quickly.
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