The Garden Bug: Bolting

By Brenda Weaver

"Bolting" is when plants begin to flower and set seeds; this is the end of the harvesting period. To prevent it from happening, cut off the flowers from plants such as bok choi, beet leaves, chard, parsley, and basil; these plants will continue to produce leaves that taste great and are no different from the leaves before the plant flowered. It is a good idea to cut off the flowering stems in order to focus the plant on leafy growth rather than its reproductive cycle; if you do so, the leaves you can continue to harvest will largely be unaffected.

Source: www.treehugger.com