[Joanyjojo]

Hi quite new to our allotment and we after lots of digging and weedingg we have planted lots of different vegetables.  My dream is to have 100% edible plot but appreciate that we need flowers for pollinators and also they look pretty! 

Can anyone recommend vegetables and fruits that provide flowers before turning into vegetables - we know the obvious ones such as beans and peas potatoes etc but wondered about others .  I've just seen an article that says that if you leave radishes they will produce a flower - has anyone tried this and other recommendations would've helpful.  thanks

[robinahood]

Hi, I like your idea, but with a lot of veg by the time they are f!owering, the crop is past it's best - radish is an example of this. I don't know if this counts, but I grow retailing nasturtiums below my sweetcorn, runner beans etc, they keep down weeds, look cheerful and are edible.

[Enfield Glen]

As robinahood says many veg flower after they have past their best for eating. You might want to plant a few extra and allow them to flower and then you can also collect the seed. Lettuce and onions are good examples. Also most herbs will flower and still be good for cooking.

[sunshineband]

Almost everything on our plot is an edible crop, and that includes a lot of flowers. Nasturtiums as already mentioned, pansies & violas, violets, small flowered begonias, pinks & carnations, chives, dahlias, calendula, roses, borage, primroses, lavender, rosemary, thyme, cornflowers, french marigolds, sunflowers of all shapes and sizes, wild garlic, daisies etc, plus of course the bean & pea family ,which has gorgeous flowers in their own right.
I hope that gives you a few ideas... the insects will certainly thank you! Mainly, our flowers are grown in strips at each end of the beds, so they are interspersed with the "green" crops and it looks attractive, as well as attracting masses of bees and other insects

[Goosegirl]

As said, many veg produce flowers so if you harvest what you want then leave the rest to flower and set seed you will not only have something nice to look at but also your seeds should be more viable than bought ones. I let my last winter's kale do its own thing and the many yellow flowers are so lovely, plus it should set seed to germinate after I've dug up my potatoes.