Dandelion is also used as a herbal supplement. It has diuretic, blood cleansing, and laxative properties. They’re easy to cultivate, as you’d anticipate from a weed. You might even come to like the brilliant yellow petals in your garden if you stop fighting the dandelion and welcome them with open arms.
So why cultivate dandelions, a weed you’ve surely fought to eradicate? A weed is simply a plant that grows where you don’t want it to. Dandelions can be weeds, but they can also be useful garden plants, and many varieties have a more tame growth behavior and a more aesthetic appeal than the plant you’re used to.
Dandelion Varieties
Dandelions have been adapted to various environments all around the world. They belong to the Taraxacum genus, which includes perennials with extensive taproots and flower crowns.
You may produce regular field dandelions in your garden, but while they are plentiful, they are not the best-tasting kind. Here are a few more varieties that will boost your dandelion garden.
Amélioré à Coeur Plein (French Dandelion)
This type produces a large crop in a small area, making it ideal for container gardening and city gardens. The leaves have a sweet taste and are enjoyable to eat. Due to its clumping growth behavior, Amélioré à Coeur Plein tends to blanch spontaneously.
Vert de Montmagny
This is a strong plant with big leaves that develops early. It is the cold-hardiest type.
Pissenlit Coeur Plein
The French have a thing with dandelions, and Pissenlit Coeur Plein is one of them. Because of its tiny heart-shaped rosettes, it’s known as the Enhanced Heart cultivar. This is a prolific cultivar with thick leaves that are great for salads and frying. It thrives in direct sunlight.
Italiko Red (Chicory)
This Italian cultivar is related to dandelions but belongs to a distinct genus known as chicory. Italiko Crimson gives a vibrant red color to salads and has a delicious flavor. It’s a hardy plant that thrives in cooler climates.
Clio
Clio produces consistent, erect leaves that will continue to produce throughout the season, resulting in a cut-and-come-again harvest. Some types are more susceptible to bolting than others.
Read also: What Is The Growing Season For Dandelions?
Red Dandelion
Cultivated as a microgreen, this sour type is excellent. After a few weeks, you can harvest it and plant it again for a regular flow.
Broad-leaved dandelion
This is another name for the typical dandelion. Just because it’s not the most delectable doesn’t mean you should disregard it. The leaves are robust and not as sensitive or as quickly blanched as the others, although they can still be useful.
The roots will grow 7 feet deep in rich soils. This indigenous variety matures more slowly and does not go to seed as rapidly as French varieties. Cooked greens and producing a coffee replacement from the roots are the best uses for it.
How To Grow Dandelion
It’s not difficult to grow dandelions.
Sow seeds directly outside after the threat of harsh winter have gone in the spring, or six weeks before the forecast winter in the fall. The seedlings are sensitive, although it is a hardy perennial, and should be watched like any other vegetable.
Because the seeds are little, you can sow them widely. Throw them into a designated bed and top with soil with a gentle rake.
Thin them to 8 to 10-inches apart when they’re approximately 3-inches tall. Don’t throw away the plucked seedlings; they make a delicious salad accent.
Because seeds require light to grow, sow them shallowly in half-inch deep furrows. In essence, you want to replicate the situations when the seeds blow away from the head, deep enough for them to stay put, but not so deep that they are unable to get sunlight.
Read also: How To Grow Dandelion Indoors From Seeds
