How to Remove Blossoms From Vegetable Plants

Overview

Whether you are removing blossoms from vegetable plants to eat them or you are removing blossoms from leafy vegetable plants or herbs to keep the plants producing, the process of trimming blossoms from vegetable plants is very simple. When you remove blossoms from vegetable plants you are preventing them from going to seed, which will encourage the plants to keep producing leaves for harvesting. Remove blossoms in the morning if you will be eating them; otherwise feel free to cut off the blossoms at any time of the day.

Step 1

Remove blossoms for eating in the morning, just after the dew has evaporated from the blossoms. Look for the blossoms at their peak of freshness and use the garden shears to trim the blossoms from the plants. Cut the stems with about 1 inch of stem still attached to the blossoms.

Step 2

Pinch off blossoms from leafy vegetable plants and herbs. Look below the blossoms, find the first intersection of leaves, and remove the blossoms at this point. Use your fingers to simply pinch off the blossoms or cut them with the garden shears.

Step 3

Wait at least one day to harvest leaves from leafy vegetables plants and herbs after you remove blossoms. This will allow the plants to redirect their energies back into leaf production, and the taste of the leaves will improve significantly during this time.