GET TO KNOW WHAT YOU GROW

Plant knowledge is key to better kitchen gardening. Learning to identify and name plants can help you get the most from your edibles.

Plant taxonomy is the science that makes it easier to learn plant names. Unlike some other sciences, it’s fun! If you know more about edibles, it becomes much simpler to manage the plants you grow.

Welcome to the Family  

It’s easy to mix up plants, particularly when a plant is young. Germinating seedlings could be salad greens or weeds.  How do you know the difference?

◾ Plants with common characteristics are grouped into families.

◾ Plants in a family share some characteristics like flower structure, leaf arrangement or growth habit.

◾ They also contain similar chemical compounds and need similar growing conditions.

◾ Sharpen your plant identification skills by learning to differentiate between plant families.

Example: “Mint family” (Lamiaceae) plants have two-lipped flowers, opposite leaves

and square stems.

If you know characteristics like this for a range of different plant families:

◾ You can look closer and identify such characteristics in your garden plants.

◾  Make better decisions when buying plants from a garden centre.

◾ Become aware when something is out of place.

◾ Confirm a plant you are looking at is really what you think it is.

Why Plant Identification is So Important

Correctly identifying plants and their families helps you:

◾ Avoid mistaking an edible plant for something inedible.

◾ Avoid nurturing a plant that isn’t what you guessed it was.

◾ Avoid buying plants that have been mislabelled.

◾ Look closer at plant characteristics and increase your powers of observation.

◾ Develop a framework to place different species or varieties into.

◾ Be more certain about how a plant will grow and do crop rotations properly.

Shared Characteristics

Plants that are more closely related:

◾ Thrive in similar soil conditions and require similar nutrients in fertilisers.

◾ Are susceptible to similar pests and diseases.

◾ Tolerate similar environmental extremes.

◾ Are propagated, pruned and managed similarly.

◾ Have similar botanical mechanisms (e.g. cross pollination may be a bigger factor for fruit set in some families than others).

What’s in a Name?

Incorrect plant identification is never more important than when growing edibles. Mix up your varieties and you won’t get what you expected from a plant.

If you save its seeds, you will be saving the wrong seeds.

You might mistake an edible for something poisonous.

You’ll find it harder to identify pests and diseases.

You might give it the wrong growing conditions.

You might not prepare it properly for eating – which could be a health risk.

Extreme Weather

Also, consider climate change.

We need to grow plants that can adapt to volatile and changing conditions.

Understanding plant taxonomy can help you make more informed choices about which plants can adapt and which might not.

Important Families for a Kitchen Gardener to Know

Most, but not all, vegetables belong to a small number of plant families, including:

◾ Fabaceae – legumes like Peas and Beans

◾ Amaryllidaceae – Garlic, Onion, Leek

◾ Apiaceae – Carrot, Parsnip, Parsley and other herbs

◾ Brassicaceae – Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kale, Rhubarb and other vegetables

◾ Chenopodiaceae – Beetroot, Spinach, etc

◾ Cucurbitaceae – Melons, Pumpkins, Cucumber

◾ Solanaceae – Potato, Capsicum, Tomato, Eggplant

◾ Poaceae – Corn and many other grains e.g. Wheat, Barley

◾ Asteraceae – Lettuce, Artichoke, many herbs and cut flowers

All these families contain more than just vegetables. It can sometimes be critical to differentiate between the edible plant and others in that family. For instance, Solanaceae contains toxic plants as well as edibles.

Not Just Veg

There are many other important kitchen garden families to know. They include herbs, cut flowers, or other useful plants. Some of these families are:

◾ Lamiaceae – Mint, Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Oregano, Basil, and others.

◾ Rosaceae – includes some of our most important fruits e.g. Strawberry, Apple, Pear, Quince, Plum, Cherry, nuts like Almond, and cut flowers like Rose.

◾ Rutaceae – Citrus fruits and several significant herbs including Rue.

Some important plants come from other odd families such as Grape which is the only major edible from the Vitaceae family.

How To Learn More

An easy way to get a fundamental understanding of taxonomy is through a self-paced, 20 hr online Plant Taxonomy course with ACS Distance Education. If you have time and passion to learn more, ACS also offers longer more in depth taxonomy courses.

Contact  [email protected]

Or find Plant Taxonomy and other online courses at  www.acsgarden.com